KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysia court on Thursday sentenced a former assistant superintendent of police to five-years in jail and a RM20,000 fine for accepting a bribe while in his position. Judge Mat Ghani Abdullah handed out the sentence and fine on Azmi Abdullah, 54, after finding him “guilty of corruptly receiving the money from one Ng Zho Wei as an inducement to reduce the severity of the charge,” on a woman in a drug case two years ago. Abdullah, who was suspended as the Serdang narcotics criminal investigation division chief, reportedly committed the crime at his office in Seri Kembangan in November 2010. The court granted a stay of the sentence and maintained Azmi's RM8,000 bail but ordered him to settle the fine. 12 prosecution witnesses testified at the trial during which Deputy Public Prosecutor Nik Haslinie Hashim from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuted while counsel Salim Bashir represented Azmi. Malaysia is seeking to stamp out corruption as part of its overall development aims over the next decade. Government officials have told Bikyamasr.com repeatedly that they believe ending corruption will be a key component of boosting development and entering the top economies globally.
