In Johor, three men claim trial to bribing senior Immigration officer after nightclub raid
JOHOR BARU, June 17 — Three men were jointly charged in the Sessions Court here today for allegedly attempting to bribe a senior enforcement officer during a raid at an entertainment centre in Kluang five months ago.
The accused — Gan Chi Qian, 25; Lai Yee Keong, 42; and Wong Kent Sing, 51 — pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out by a court interpreter before Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.
According to the charge, the trio jointly offered a bribe of RM25,000 in cash to the Johor Immigration Department's enforcement division deputy assistant director during an Ops Gegar raid at the nightclub.
The bribe was allegedly an inducement to prevent enforcement action against five foreign workers who had violated Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, which prohibits breaching the conditions of their passes. The offence carries a penalty of up to six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to RM1,000, or both.
The accused, employed at a factory in Kluang, are alleged to have committed the offence at around 4.30am on January 11 at the Johor Immigration Department's enforcement division office in the Home Ministry Complex, Taman Setia Tropika.
The charge was brought under Section 214 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 for acts committed with common intention. If convicted, they face imprisonment of up to one-quarter of the maximum penalty for the original offence, a fine, or both.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Fazal Lisam Abidin represented the prosecution, while counsel Abraham Mathew represented the accused.
The prosecution proposed bail of RM15,000 for each accused, but Mathew requested a reduced sum, citing their RM2,000 monthly incomes as factory workers.
The court granted bail of RM5,000 with one surety for each accused and set July 18 for mention and document submission.
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