JOHOR BARU: An inspector and two police corporals claimed trial at the Sessions Court here today to corruption charges involving RM12,300 in bribes linked to traffic enforcement two years ago.
Inspector Deris Jerman, 43, and Corporal Mohd Fahmee Mohd Top, 37, pleaded not guilty to five charges of accepting and obtaining bribes, while Lance Corporal Muhammad Taufiyqul Hakim Mohd Zaki, 29, denied a single charge of soliciting a bribe.
The trio, attached to the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division at the Mersing district police headquarters, were charged before judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.
Prosecutors said Deris and Fahmee, acting in concert, agreed to accept bribes of RM3,000, RM2,500 and RM1,500 from three men to avoid seizing their lorries and conducting investigations under the Road Transport Act 1987.
They were also accused of obtaining RM3,000 and RM1,500 from two others for the same purpose.
The alleged offences took place along Jalan Nitar Mersing and at the Maybank branch in Mersing between 3pm and 5.52pm on Nov 30, 2023.
Taufiyqul was separately accused of soliciting RM800 from a man at Jalan Nitar Mersing at 12.30pm on Nov 19, 2023.
The offences fall under Sections 16(a)(A) and 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. Conviction for the offences carries up to 20 years’ jail and fines of at least five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
MACC deputy public prosecutor Alice Voon Mei Ling told the court the charges were non-bailable and no offer was made. However, defence counsel Mohd Azlan Shah Mohd Allias urged the court to grant bail, citing his clients’ cooperation during investigations and their continued service in the police force.
“Deris has served 25 years in the force and has five children, Fahmee has 17 years of service and a child, while Taufiyqul has served nine years and is married. They voluntarily presented themselves in court today,” he said.
The court granted bail of RM10,000 each for Deris and Fahmee, and RM6,000 for Taufiyqul, with additional conditions to surrender their passports and report monthly to the MACC office in Mersing.
The case will be mentioned again on Sept 30 for document submission.
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