Cop jailed, fined for accepting cash By Suraini Andokong
KOTA KINABALU: The Corruption Court here sentenced a police sergeant to a total of six weeks’ jail plus RM20,000 fine for three charges of accepting cash from bailors and suspects without consideration.
Judge Nixon Kennedy Kumbong imposed the sentence on Abd Malek A. Bakar, 56, after finding him guilty of all the charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, yesterday.
The indictment carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
In his reserved decision, the court ruled that the defence had failed to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case.
On the first and the second charges, the accused was jailed for two weeks plus RM5,000 fine, in default, three months’ jail each for receiving a total of RM600 cash in sureties for two criminal suspects, respectively, in a room at Manggatal police station on November 10, 2015.
The court ordered the accused to serve both the jail terms concurrently.
Meanwhile, for his third charge, the accused received another two weeks’ jail and RM10,000 fine, in default, six months’ jail for accepting RM1,000 cash from 10 criminal suspects through one man at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters here on November 11, 2015.
The charge stated that all the suspects were arrested on November 6, 2015 for investigation under Section 6 (1) of the Corrosive, Explosive and Dangerous Weapons Act.
The trial judge had ordered for his jail sentence to run consecutively with the other two jail terms and all his fines to be paid yesterday.
The accused was supposed to serve his jail sentences yesterday, but the same court had allowed a stay of his jail terms pending his appeal to the High Court here and his previous bail of RM10,000 deposited with RM5,000 with one local surety be maintained, pending disposal of his appeal.
In pleading for a lenient sentence, counsel Ram Singh, who defended the accused, said his client had been in service for 33 years and in Sabah for almost 25 years.
The counsel also submitted that the accused was having health problems such as high blood pressure and gastritis.
In reply, deputy public prosecutor Rustam Sanip urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the accused taking into account the gravity of the offence committed.