Graft: Acquittal of senior cop upheld By Suraini Andokong
KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here yesterday upheld the acquittal of a senior police officer accused of abusing his position by approving a food catering tender worth RM432,000 to a company belonging to his nephew.
Justice Datuk Nurchaya Hj Arshad made the order after the prosecution withdrew its appeal against the lower court’s decision on Assistant Commissioner of Police Abd Radzak Abd Ghani, 56.
The prosecution informed the court that they had received instruction from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Putrajaya to withdraw the appeal against the respondent.
On January 23, 2017, the subordinate court here had acquitted and discharged the respondent without calling for his defence on the said charge.
Abd Radzak, who is attached with the state police headquarters, had allegedly awarded the cooked food ration supply tender for detainees in police lock-up from May 1, 2014 until April 30, 2016.
He was alleged to have committed the offence at 11.30am on April 1, 2014 at the meeting room of the State Police Commissioner’s office in the Kepayan police headquarters here.
The charge framed under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 is punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher.