KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — A police sergeant claimed trial in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of accepting bribe of RM8,000 from a private college student last year.

Radzali Muchtar, 32, from the Sentul police station, was alleged to have accepted the money as an inducement for the return of a passport and a gold necklace belonging to one Nicholas Asanimor, who was then alleged to be in police custody for a cheating case.

He was charged with committing the offence at the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of the Sentul district police station at 12.25 pm on April 12 last year.

Radzali, who has been with the police force for eight years, was charged under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and faced an imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Judge Rozina Ayob allowed Radzali bail of RM10,000 with one surety and set March 20 for mention.

She also ordered Radzali, represented by lawyer Nurul Nadzirah Narazlan, to report himself at the nearest MACC office every month and to surrender his passport to the court.

Deputy public prosecutor from MACC Abdul Rashid Sulaiman prosecuted. — Bernama