MACC detains two Penampang cops for allegedly taking bribes

KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained two policemen from Penampang for allegedly receiving RM800 bribe on Tuesday.

MACC Sabah director Datuk Sazali Salbi said the suspects, a corporal and lance corporal aged 39 and 32 respectively, and attached to the Penampang police district, were detained at the MACC office between 12.10am and 12.40am on August 15 for allegedly receiving bribes from a complainant.

"The complainant lodged a report to MACC on August 14, claiming that the suspects had asked for RM2,500 so no police action would be taken against him for a drug case during a police raid in Penampang around 2.30pm on August 7," he said yesterday.

Sazali said the complainant gave RM500 to the suspects on the same day and later deposited RM300 into the bank account of one of the suspects the following day.

He said both suspects had been detained and remanded for seven days from August 16 to facilitate investigation under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

Magistrate Cindy Mc Juce Balitus made the remand order on the corporal and lance corporal after allowing the application made by MACC investigating officer, Mohd Faliq Basirudin.

Recently, 3,435 police personnel in the state took the corruption free pledge.

Sabah Deputy Commissioner of Police Datuk Razarudin Husain said the pledge was also an assurance and proof to stakeholders in the state that the police contingent had taken the necessary steps to prevent corruption and abuse of power.