JOHOR BARU: An immigration officer claimed trial to 10 counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM55,150 between November last year and February this year at the Sessions Court here today.
Mohd Edisahril Mohd Noor, 41, pleaded not guilty to all charges after they were read out in front of judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.
According to the charge sheets, the father of three was alleged to have received bribes ranging from RM3,000 to RM10,000 from a man to an account owned by the accused's wife.
The total bribes of RM55,150 were purportedly paid for facilitating the entry of Indonesians into Malaysia without complying with the requirements set by the Immigration Act 1959.
The acts were said to have taken place at a bank branch in Bandar Baru Uda here, between Nov 4, 2023, and February 23.
The accused was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years jail and a fine of five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
During the same proceedings, the accused, an Immigration Officer of the Grade KP22 stationed at the Sultan Iskandar Building, also pleaded not guilty to 10 alternative charges of agreeing to receive all the bribes at the same location and date.
The accused was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine or both, upon conviction.
MACC deputy director (Legal and Prosecution Division) Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin had previously offered bail between RM15,000 to RM20,000 for all charges, with two additional conditions, that the accused's international passport be surrendered to the court, and for him to report monthly at the Johor MACC office.
Lawyer Mohd Shahrullah Khan Nawab Zadah Khan, representing the accused, requested the bail amount to be reduced to RM10,000, citing that his client had always cooperated with the MACC throughout the investigation process.
"The accused has served for 18 years and will be bailed by his mother today," he said.
The court then granted bail at RM10,000 with the two additional conditions proposed by the prosecution.
The case is scheduled for a document mention on Nov 10.