Ipoh: An immigration officer pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to charges of soliciting and receiving bribes amounting to RM16,000 two years ago.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, on the first charge, Azdee Muaz Md Adnan, 50, was alleged to have solicited RM10,800 from Amira Natasha Zaidi, 30, a clerk at EZY Engineering Works (M) Sdn Bhd. This amount was purportedly an inducement to expedite the process of obtaining quotas in the Manpower Recalibration Programme (RTK) 2.0 for the company. The alleged offence took place at an office located at No. 240, Ground Floor, Jalan Kamunting, on July 25, 2023.

Azdee Muaz was also charged with receiving RM5,200 from Nurul Syakirin Mohd Hanapiah, 33, as part of the payment for the same purpose. This transaction reportedly occurred at the Kenny Rogers Roasters Restaurant, Kinta City Shopping Centre, Ipoh Garden, between 1 pm and 2 pm on August 3, 2023.

The charges against Azdee Muaz were framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009. This section provides for imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi granted Azdee Muaz bail amounting to RM10,000 with one surety and set April 29 for mention. The judge also ordered the accused to report to a MACC office once a month and not to intimidate witnesses in the case.

The prosecution was led by MACC prosecuting officer Shahrul Azuan Ghazali, while the accused was represented by lawyer Md Yusuf Idris.