BUTTERWORTH – A Penang Island City Council (MBPP) assistant architect officer has been sentenced by the sessions court here to a day’s jail and fined RM20,000 after pleading guilty to accepting bribes of nearly RM17,000.
Zamira Juneed, 38, admitted to receiving the bribes to expedite a land conversion application.
She was slapped with five counts of corruption by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid meted out the punishment after the accused pleaded guilty to all charges, which were read out by a court interpreter.
Based on the charge sheet, Zamira, who worked as an assistant architect officer in MBPP’s Conservation and Heritage Department, was accused of accepting bribes from five companies as an incentive to expedite an application for a change in land status from residential to commercial.
The application is linked to a hotel development.
A total of RM16,800 was transferred at the Maybank branch here between January 14, 2015 and September 22, 2016.
She was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009, and punished under Section 24(1) of the same act, which carries a jail term of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the bribe amount, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Deputy public prosecutor S. Selvaranjini appeared for the prosecution, while Zamira was unrepresented.
The accused applied for a lenient sentence on the grounds that she risks losing her job, and needs to help bear the cost of her husband’s heart surgery.
“I have two children, aged 12 and 10. My husband lost his job last September due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I apologise to the court and admit my mistake. I hope I will not be jailed, and will be fined only the minimum amount.”
Zamira faces six months behind bars if she fails to pay the fine. – The Vibes, February 24, 2021
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