KOTA KINABALU, July 8 — A police corporal today pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to three charges of soliciting bribes as inducement to release two men detained for not having valid personal identification documents in August 2018.
The accused, Corporal Margani Arpah, 55, is attached to the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters.
According to the first charge, Margani had, behind the Warisan Square police beat, asked for cash of RM2,000 from Anisa Hassan as inducement to release her nephews Hadun Majid and Sabrin Mokhtar who were detained for not having such documents.
Based on the second and third charge, the accused had at the same place, asked for RM900 and RM300 respectively from Anisa Hassan for the same purpose.
Margani is alleged to have committed the offences between 5 pm and 6.26 pm on Aug 22, 2018.
For the first count, Margani was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
For the second and third count, Margani was charged under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act, which provides for the same penalties.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat allowed bail of RM10,000 with a deposit of RM4,000 and one surety, as well as two additional conditions imposed — Margani to report to the Kota Kinabalu MACC office once in two months and to surrender his international passport to the court.
MACC prosecuting officer Clementine Severinus appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. Case mention will be on August 25. — Bernama
