Kuala lumpur: The Sessions Court today acquitted and discharged Nur Fazreen Mohamad Kamal, the former Head of Corporate Communications Unit at a Ministry, from charges related to receiving a bribe of RM5,268 three years ago.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Suzana Hussin delivered the decision after Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Prosecuting Officer A. Selvam informed the court that Nur Fazreen, 45, had paid a compound as a result of a representation submitted to the prosecution. The compound was offered under Section 92 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001 on May 7 and was paid by the accused on May 12. Consequently, the prosecution requested the withdrawal of the main charge under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act and the alternative charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code.

T. Sivaranjeni, the lawyer representing Nur Fazreen, confirmed that her client had settled the compound payment and requested her discharge and acquittal. The court then granted this request, citing the payment of the compound as the basis for the decision.

The charge against Nur Fazreen involved the alleged receipt of a RM5,268 bribe from a woman, which was partially paid for a gold bracelet weighing 39.30 grams. This payment was reportedly made online from the account of Tulip Event Exhibition Enterprise to a jewelry shop's account, KB Gold 2 Enterprise. The bribe was allegedly an inducement for verifying a Government Order Application Form related to exhibition equipment rental services for Trenchless Asia 2023, valued at RM49,950, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

The act was purportedly carried out at a bank in Jalan Bukit Bintang on May 11, 2023. The charge, framed under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009, carried potential penalties of a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.