JOHOR BARU: A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officer was charged in the Sessions Court today with six counts of accepting bribes totalling RM10,700 two years ago.
The accused, Muhammad Adzmin Zolkepli, 32, pleaded not guilty to all charges before Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.
According to the charge sheets, Muhammad Adzmin, who holds a low-level supervisory position and had served at the MMEA's Kedah and Perlis headquarters, was accused of receiving between RM1,200 and RM2,300 via bank transfers.
The transactions were allegedly made from a marine supply company owner to an intermediary account, which was later transferred to the accused's account.
The prosecution alleged that the payments were made in connection with the accused's official duties. The offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Segamat, between February and October, 2022.
Adzmin faced charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which criminalises public servants accepting valuable items from individuals with connections to their official work. If convicted, he could face up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.
The case was prosecuted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer Abd Muntaqim Abdul Aziz, who requested bail of RM20,000 for all six charges, along with additional conditions, including for him to surrender his passport and report monthly to the MACC office in Sandakan, Sabah.
Defence counsel Mohd Norazam Majid appealed for the lowest possible bail, citing the accused's financial and family circumstances.
He argued that Adzmin, who remained employed as an officer in Sandakan with a net monthly salary of RM1,700, supports his unemployed wife, a two-month-old child, elderly parents, and an 85-year-old grandmother.
Judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin set bail at RM7,000 for all six charges and scheduled Feb 7, next year for the submission of case documents.