Five civil servants from three enforcement agencies were charged in the Special Corruption Court in Tawau, Sabah today with bribery.

However, all of them pleaded not guilty to their respective charges before judge Abu Bakar Manat.

Three of them -- Abdul Halil Mohd Zin, Zakariah Kirinu, and Roney Saimeh Sakah are from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), while the other two are Ajid Abdinah, from the National Registration Department (NRD) and Aisah Batik, from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry‘s (MDTCA) office.

Abdul Halil, 60, was charged with three counts of receiving bribes, totalling RM2,800 between Nov 2014 and March 2015 from Helmi Abdul Hamid and Muhammad Azmin Abdul Aziz, as an inducement to not take action against a boat, which was carrying petrol, into the Philippines.

Abdul Halil was then attached with the Travel Control Office (TCO) of a Barter Trade Port.

Zakariah, 38, who was then a prosecuting officer, was charged with accepting a bribe of RM3,000 from one Mohd Akhbar Azis to drop a charge made against his father. The offence was allegedly committed in April 2016.

As for Roney Saimeh, 40, he was charged with accepting RM3,500 from one Rostam Arsad in April 2017 at the Traffic Division of the Lahad Datu district police headquarters as an inducement to close a case involving a road crash.

Meanwhile, Asiah, 40, who was then MDTCA investigating officer, was alleged to have received RM500 in bribe from one Hardeyan Bahtiar in August 2017 at Region 4 of the Marine Police Base here to release a boat that was seized for a smuggling offence.

Ajid, 43, was charged with using as genuine a forged document involving a birth certificate under the name of Adrianna Alanni Ajid at the Lahad Datu NRD office in April 015.

Abdul Halil, Aisah, Zakariah and Roney were charged under section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and were allowed bail of RM10,000 each, while Ajid who was charged under section 471 of the Penal Code, was allowed bail of RM7,000 with one surety.

Judge Abu Bakar also ordered all of them to surrender their passports to the court and to report themselves at a MACC office once in three months.

Deputy public prosecutor from MACC, Faliq Basiruddin, prosecuted, while lawyers Dayang Aida Ku Amira Aminudin and Mohd Fadzil Abd Karim represented Abdul Halil and Roney, respectively.

Aisah and Zakariah were represented by Mark Rosaidy Mohd Amin Jaafar, while Ajid was unrepresented.

Judge Abu Bakar set April 16 for mention of Abdul Halil, Zakariah and Aisah’s case, while Roney and Ajid’s case will be on April 17. - Bernama