KOTA KINABALU: A retired policeman was fined RM3, 000 in default of one month's jail for taking a RM250 bribe.
Jangli Mamat, 58, was one of 10 policemen who were charged with accepting a bribe from a 39-year-old man between 2016 and 2018.
The other policemen pleaded not guilty.
Sessions Court judge Abu Bakar Manat meted out the fine on Jangli after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code.
The indictment provides for a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Jangli who had retired in July 2017, admitted to accepting the money from the 39-year-old man. The money was banked into Jangli's account on Oct 6, 2016, at 10.24am at Public Bank in Kota Belud.
The charge also stated that Jangli was at the time a police sergeant at the Kota Belud Narcotics Division.
Jangli's original charge was under Section 17 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
Earlier, the prosecution told the court that Jangli had sent a representation to the deputy public prosecutor's office dated Oct 14 to appeal for his three main charges to be reduced to lesser charges on the grounds, among others, that he is retired from the force.
The prosecution informed the court that the representation by Jangli was granted and the prosecution offered three alternative charges against Jangli, to which he had pleaded guily today.
However, the prosecution made an application under Section 171 of the Criminal Procedure Code for TIC (Take Into Consideration) of two out of three alternative charges against Jangli to be withdrawn.
The court had granted the application and only one alternative charge to proceed against Jangli.
During mitigation, the accused who was unrepresented asked for a lenient sentence saying that he has health problems and this was his first offence.
He also said that he had never been subjected to any disciplinary action when he was in service and his last post was an assistant investigating officer.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Izzati Sapifee urged court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused.
Meanwhile, two other policemen were charged with corruptly accepting money from the same man.
Inspector Bobby Rhyne Warry Nawari, 38, and Corporal James Well Anak Lakin, 44, pleaded not guilty before judge Abu Bakar Manat when the charges were read out to them.
Bobby faces eight charges while James faces two charges.
In Bobby's case, he was accused of accepting a total RM3,600 from a 39-year-old man as an inducement not to take action against him under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
He allegedly committed the offence at Bank Rakyat in Kota Belud between May 1 and Aug 30, 2017.
For James, he was accused of accepting a total RM600 bribe from the same victim between Nov 4, 2016, and Jan 16, 2017 at Bank Rakyat in Kota Belud and Bank Rakyat in Keningau.
Bobby was released on bail of RM10,000 bail with RM5,000 deposited in court with a local surety while James was released on RM6,000 bail, with RM3,000 to be deposited in court with a local surety.
The judge fixed Dec 6 for pre-trial case management.
Bobby and James were also ordered to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office in Sibu, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu every two months.
The court also ordered the duo to surrender their passports to the court.
Bobby and James were represented by counsel Bartholomew Jinggulam and PJ Perira, respectively, while deputy public prosecutor Nurul Izzati Sapifee prosecuted.
Before this, seven policemen were charged in the same court with committing similar offences of corruptly receiving money between 2017 and 2018 also from the same man.
