Two days before he died, Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed admitted to receiving monthly bribes of between RM30 and RM200 from two freight-forwarding companies, the Coroner's court was told Thursday.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations unit head Muhamad Fauzi Husin told the court that Ahmad Sarbaini had himself admitted to taking between RM30 and RM200 a month from an "Ah Seng" (from Top Mark Shipping) and between RM50 and RM100 a "Zainal" (from Shenker Logistics Sdn Bhd).
He said the Selangor Customs assistant director had admitted this himself while he his statement was being taken for the second time on April 4 by assistant enforcement officer Sheikh Niza Khairy Sheikh Mohamad.
His first statement was taken on April 2 by assistant enforcement officer Mohd Rosly Mohd Saupi.
According to Muhamad Fauzi, he was told that Ahmad Sarbaini had turned up at the MACC office again on April 6, as he wanted to change his statement (to say that he did not take the bribes).
"I was in a meeting at that time. Sheikh came in to the meeting, saying Ahmad Sarbaini had turned up, and he wanted to change his statement.
"I instructed Abd Ghani Ali (the investigating officer for that case) to speak to Ahmad Sarbaini to find out why he wanted to change his statement," he said.
He also told the court that Ahmad Sarbaini was one of the customs officers picked up over MACC investigations that customs officers were receiving bribes from freight-forwarding companies to expedite approval processes, or lessen the taxes for containers at the ports.
However, counsel for the deceased's family Awtar Singh, when questioning Muhamad Fauzi, pointed out that he found it very odd that Ahmad Sarbaini did not mention anything about receiving the bribes when he was first arrested and interrogated on April 1 and 2, but instead made a confession on April 4, when he had already out on MACC bail.
"Most people would admit to such things when they are under duress, not when they are stable and calm," he said.
Ahmad Sarbani, 56, who was attached to the Port Klang Customs office, was found dead at the badminton court on the first floor of the MACC building on April 6.
He was reported to have gone to the commission's office to meet the investigation officer assigned to corruption cases involving 62 customs officers.
Source : The Star
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