KUANTAN: An Immigration officer was fined RM6,000 by the Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to accepting bribes totalling RM1,830 some six years ago.
Mohd Reza Husain, 43, pleaded guilty to all five charges read out by the court interpreter before judge Sazlina Safie.
Sazlina ruled that failure to pay the fine would result in a 30-month imprisonment.
According to the charges, Reza, attached to the Pahang Immigration Department's enforcement unit, had unlawfully received cash from an individual connected to his official duties.
The father-of-two allegedly committed the offence between June 20, 2018, and Jan 21, 2020, by receiving money through online banking accounts belonging to him and his wife.
He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fadhli Mohd appeared for prosecution.
Reza was represented by Mohd Rusnizam Abdullah and Muhammad Amirul Afiq Mohamad Lokman.
In mitigation, Rusnizam said his client, who has been suspended from his duties, has to support his wife, two children, an elderly mother with chronic diseases and a 30-year-old sister who is disabled.
"My client has no previous criminal records. We hope the court will consider imposing a fine," he said.
Fadhli asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the accused to serve as a lesson to the public and the prosecution has no objection to the fine as proposed by the defence.
Sazlina imposed an RM1,200 fine for each count, in default six months' jail. The court granted the return of Reza's passport and bail.