Judge, lawyer and DPP charged with receiving bribes
Former Kuala Kubu Baru Sessions Court judge Azmil Muntapha Abas yesterday pleaded not guilty to a corruption charge.
He was charged with receiving a RM17,500 bribe as an inducement to sentence seven illegal foreigners to a mere fine under Section 6(1)(C ) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Five of the foreigners were from Indonesia, and one each were from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Azmil, 45, along with deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Khairul Azhwa Yusrie Mohamad, 32, and lawyer Noor Amirul Nazreen Anas, 31, were charged with receiving a gratification from Wong Chiew Hoong, 40, at the Kuala Kubu Baru Sessions Court between 9.30am and 2.45pm on July 17.
The three legal practitioners were said to have committed an offence under Section 16(A)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694) for bribery, which is punishable under Subsection 24(1) of the same act.
The trio face a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of RM10,000, or five times the value of the gratification, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
Azmil, Khairul and Amirul were calm and nodded to show that they understood after the charges were read to them before judge Rozilah Salleh at the Special Court for Corruption.
The trio pleaded not guilty and were allowed bail at RM12,000 each. They were told to surrender their passports to the court pending a mention of their case on Dec 16.
Azmil was slapped with a second graft charge for receiving a RM5,000 gratification via his Maybank account from Soo Seng Kok, 36, through Zumairi Othman, 37, and Ahmad Feisal Azmi, 37, at Maybank Jalan Meru, Klang, at 8.24pm on May 10 last year.
The payment was in connection to a separate case involving six illegal foreigners, who were charged under Subsection 9(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 (Act 289).
The accused were only fined instead of receiving a custodial sentence and fine.
Azmil had committed an offence under Subsection 17(a) of the MACC Act, which is punishable under Subsection 24(1) of the same act.
Azmil also faces an alternative charge for the same offence under Section 165 of the Penal Code (Act 574), which provides for a jail term of up to two years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
He pleaded not guilty to the two charges, as well as the alternative charge.
He was allowed bail of RM6,000 and was ordered to surrender his passport to the court pending a mention of the case on Dec 16.
MACC was represented by its Legal and Prosecution Division director, Roslan Mat Nor, and DPP Allan Suman Pillai.
Azmil was represented by lawyers Gregory Santiago, Ridha Abdah Subri, Sheelan A. and Jagesh M. Lingam, while Khairul was represented by lawyers Zulkepli Omar and Nur Fathin Muhammad Zain.
Amirul was represented by lawyers Shahidah Muslimah Roslan and Noorhidayah Mohd Saad.