Two friends, one of whom is a Singaporean student, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur to a charge of giving gratification in the amount of RM90,000 last year.
Photo via CNA
32-year-old Law Wen Xiang and 27-year-old Sia Qi Xun were jointly charged with corruptly giving gratification to a police officer at the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Johor Bahru Selatan district police headquarters as an inducement not to prosecute Sia, a Singaporean, under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
They were accused of committing the crime in front of a restaurant in Taman Suria on October 17, last year, at 5.45 pm.
According to BERNAMA, the charge, which is framed under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same law, carries a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is greater, if convicted.
Photo via BERNAMA
The two friends also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge under Section 214 of the Penal Code, which charged them with giving gratification to a person in exchange for screening an offender from legal action at the same location, time, and date.
If found guilty, they faced imprisonment for a term that could extend to one-fourth of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the offence, a fine, or both.
