Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Former Officer Imprisoned For Agreeing to Accept Bribe Over Permit

Jan 12, 2011 - A former assistant district officer (DO) was jailed six months and fined RM20,000 at a Sessions Court here for agreeing to accept a bribe.

Judge Mat Ghani Abdullah found Norhanizatuazwin Samsuni, 30, guilty after ruling that the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt.

Norhanizatuazwin had allegedly agreed to accept a RM10,000 cheque from Syarikat Winmont Development Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Lau Kim Soo as part payment for her house at C-4-25, Rumah Pangsa, Kajang Impian on March 14, 2009.

Norhanizatuazwin was charged with committing the offence at the Trans Loyal Development Sdn Bhd office at No 45A, Jalan Bukit Mewah 11, Taman BukitMewah, Kajang while she was still the Hulu Langat assistant district officer at that time.

The payment was an inducement to assist Lau by approving a special permit dated Feb 5, 2009 to remove sand from a plot of land in Sungai Long, Kajang.

Norhanizatuazwin was initially charged under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009 but was acquitted and discharged on Oct 20 last year.

However, she was called to enter her defence on an alternative charge under the Penal Code instead.

Her lawyer K. Puspalingam asked for a light sentence saying his client was a single mother of a one-year-old child and also had to take care of her parents.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Sinti however requested for a heavy sentence to be meted out in the public’s interest.

Mat Ghani also ordered Norhanizatuazwin to be jailed five months if she failed to pay the fine.

However, he granted a stay of execution for the jail sentence pending an appeal.

Reported By The Star

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