Claiming trial: MACC officers taking the four accused to be charged at the Sessions Court in Seremban yesterday.
SEREMBAN: Four cops claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to charges of soliciting and accepting a bribe from a mother whose sons had been arrested for allegedly being in possession of syabu.
Muhammad Ruzaini Firdaus Ismail, Muhammad Syahar Sansuddin @ Samsudin, both 34, Mohamad Ikhwan Shafiq Mohammad and Muhammad Adib Hanizin, both 27, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them before judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi.
Muhammad Ruzaini and Muhammad Syahar hold the rank of corporal while the other two are lance corporals.
All four work at the Gemencheh police station.
They were jointly charged with soliciting RM3,000 from a 36-year-old woman whose two sons had been detained by the police for allegedly possessing syabu.
They allegedly committed the offence just after midnight on Aug 24 this year at the station.
For the second charge, the four allegedly received RM800 from the woman around 3am on the same day through a 53-year-old individual.
The offence was allegedly committed at the same place.
They were charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act which is punishable under Section 24 of the same legislation and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
Those convicted of the crimes can be jailed up to 20 years and fined not less than five times the amount of the bribe involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
MACC’s deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Azriff Firdaus Mohamad Ali then asked the court to set bail at RM10,000 for each of the accused and order them to report at the Melaka MACC office once every month until the case is disposed of.
However, Azrul Zulkifli Stork, representing all four accused, asked for a lower amount as the accused had families to provide for.
He said they earned between RM2,800 and RM3,200 a month and also had to provide for their parents and in-laws.
Judge Meor Sulaiman set bail at RM3,500 with one surety each and ordered the men to report once a month at the Melaka MACC office.
He fixed Dec 12 for remention.
