ALOR STAR: A 63-year-old herb trader was fined RM2,000 by the Sessions Court here, today, after pleading guilty to offering a RM350 bribe to a policeman in February.
Zulkefli Yaakob pleaded guilty to the alternative charge before judge N. Priscilla Hemamalini, who ruled that failure to pay the fine would result in a two-month jail term.
Zulkefli tried to bribe a policeman attached to the Baling district police headquarters to not take action against him under Section 135(1)(d) of the Customs Act 1967 for possessing uncustomed or prohibited goods, namely an intoxicating drink known as 'Air Law'.
The drink was reportedly sold to locals in the area.
Zulkefli committed the offence on Feb 11 at 1.30pm, at a location in Kampung Lalang, Baling.
The offence falls under Section 214 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, or a fine, or both, if convicted.
The original charge was made under Section 24(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
MACC prosecutor Mohd Zulfadli Azharuddin prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
In his plea, Zulkefli requested for the minimum sentence, citing that he has six dependent siblings and suffers from asthma.