Five Finance Ministry staff fined for not reporting bribe offers

The five civil servants are the first to be charged with the offence in this country.

Assistant accountants, Azad Fadhmi Abdul Rahman, 34, and Madiyana Mamat, 39, as well as administrative assistant Nurul Ashikin Zulkaflee, 33, were fined RM1,500 each, while two other accused, assistant administrative officer, Mohd Fairus Hussin, 38, and assistant accountant, Siti Nurkhairunnisa Adnan, 32, were each fined RM2,000.

Before sentencing, Judge Manira Mohd Noor advised all the accused not to repeat the offence because even with a small amount involved, their future could be ruined.

The five were alleged to have been offered bribes of between RM200 to RM600 to expedite approval to obtain Bumiputera status to five companies through the e-Procurement system, a violation under the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694).

The offences were committed at the company registration unit, Finance Ministry procurement division in Putrajaya between May 2018 and June 2020, in accordance with Section 25 (1) of the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694) and punishable under Section 25 (2) of the same act, which provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a maximum jail term of 10 years or both.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and R. Francine Cheryl urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence taking into account the accused were the first individuals to be charged in court under the provision.

However, counsels Mohd Shahrullah Khan Nawab Zadah Khan and Muhamad Aizat Fakri representing all the accused appealed for a fine not exceeding the emoluments they receive each month and without imprisonment, for fear that a heavy penalty could cause their clients to lose their jobs.

"They are their family’s main breadwinner and they have given their word that they would report on any offers of graft to the authorities after this," said Muhamad Aizat.