 An Immigration Officer Grade 22 was charged in the Sessions Court here today with 53 counts of corruption and money laundering involving a total of RM789,100, while his wife was also charged with using proceeds from illegal activities to purchase gold.
Of the charges, 42 counts involved corruption, in which Mohamad Fazli Abdul Rahim, 46, was alleged to have received bribes amounting to RM510,500. The bribes were allegedly transferred online by a foreign national, as well as through a company and a bank account belonging to a local woman. The offences were allegedly committed at two bank branches in Subang Jaya and Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor, between Feb 4, 2023, and Aug 26, 2024, as an inducement for allowing foreigners to enter the country without complying with procedures set by the Immigration Department. He was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act. If convicted, Mohamad Fazli faces imprisonment of 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. MACC prosecuting officer Muhammad Arif Asyraf Mohd Khairi recommended bail of RM50,000 in one surety, while lawyer Mohamad Zahid Ahmad requested a lower bail amount. Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin subsequently set bail at RM20,000 in one surety, with additional conditions that Mohamad Fazli report to the nearest MACC office and refrain from interfering with prosecution witnesses. The case was fixed for mention on March 10. Meanwhile, Mohamad Fazli also pleaded not guilty to seven charges of transferring money amounting to RM278,600, which were allegedly proceeds of illegal activities, from a company’s bank account to three individuals at the same two banks between July 2, 2022, and Aug 19, 2024. For the money laundering offence, he was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti- Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613), punishable under Section 4(1) of the same Act. If convicted, the accused faces imprisonment of up to 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the proceeds from the illegal activity or RM3 million, whichever is higher. The court then allowed the accused to post bail of RM24,000 in two sureties, similar to the decision of Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud of Sessions Court Two, Shah Alam. Earlier, in Sessions Court Two, Mohamad Fazli pleaded not guilty to four counts of accepting bribes totalling RM10,400 for allegedly allowing the entry of foreigners without complying with procedures, an offence under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, before Judge Awang Kerisnada. The accused’s wife, Suhana Ismail, 44, who is also an immigration officer Grade KP22, was likewise charged before Judge Awang Kerisnada with seven counts of using proceeds from illegal activities amounting to RM125,850 to purchase gold. Suhana pleaded not guilty to all charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613), which were allegedly committed at a bank in Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, between Aug 12, 2023, and Feb 27, 2024. The court then allowed Suhana, who was also represented by lawyer Mohamad Zahid Ahmad, to be granted bail of RM40,000 in two sureties, and fixed the couple’s case for mention on March 10. The prosecution was conducted by MACC prosecuting officer Mohd Alimi Mustapha.  The Shah Alam High Court today sentenced a man to 16 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of his two-month-old baby girl four years ago.
Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin handed down the sentence to Muhammad Danial Iman Mohd Sharif and ordered the prison term to take effect from the date of the accused’s arrest in July 2022. In the grounds of judgment released on January 15, Judge Aslam stated that in any criminal case involving sentencing, the public interest is a factor that must be prioritised by the court. “The accused pleaded guilty unconditionally and was sentenced to 16 years in prison starting from his date of arrest. The accused, dissatisfied with the sentence imposed, has now filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal,” said Judge Aslam. According to the case, the accused was charged with causing the death of a baby girl at his home in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, between July 30, 2022, and July 31, 2022. The charge was framed under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and a possible fine upon conviction. According to the facts of the case, on July 29, 2022, the accused had an argument with his wife that led to a physical altercation. He threw his wife’s mobile phone before she went to sleep at approximately 2.00 am, leaving the victim with the accused in the living room. While alone with the infant, the accused picked the victim up from a cushion on the floor and slammed her down, causing the baby’s body from the waist up - to hit the floor. The victim began to cry. The wife, who woke up later, saw the baby crying and fed her. At 4.30pm the following day, the wife heard the baby crying continuously and felt uneasy as this had never happened before. On July 31, 2022, at 5.45pm, the accused again acted out by yanking the victim’s hand, pressing on her stomach, and slamming her onto a cushion on the floor because he felt stressed. During this act, the baby’s head hit the corner of a table, causing injury. The wife noticed that the baby’s lips were bleeding and her breathing was shallow. The accused informed her that the victim had “fallen” and hit her lips on a wooden pallet table. She then asked the accused to take their child to a clinic. Investigations revealed the cause of death was intracranial haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain) caused by blunt force trauma when the accused slammed the infant. The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Nabilah Abd Rashid, while the accused was represented by lawyer Santhakumari.  Three passenger ferries stationed at a shipyard in Bukit Malut near Langkawi were destroyed in a fire that broke out last night.
Langkawi Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Zone 4 chief, Mohd Zamri Abd Ghani, said the department received an emergency call about the incident at 9.46 pm and arrived at the scene 17 minutes later. “The fire at the dock involved six ferries, two of which were 80 per cent destroyed and drifted about 50 metres into the sea. One ferry was five per cent damaged, while three others were saved from the flames,” he said in a statement today. He added that one of the ferries on fire, which had drifted away, was successfully hauled back to the shore with the assistance of a fishing boat. However, the second ferry could not be towed as water had started to flood the rear section. As a result, the fire was allowed to burn out on its own under monitoring. A total of 23 firemen from the Persiaran Putra and Langkawi Fire and Rescue Stations were deployed to the site, and firefighting efforts were carried out with a single hose stream and two water jets. “No casualties were reported in the incident. The fire was brought under control at 11.07 pm and fully extinguished by 2.10 am today,” Mohd Zamri added.  A side lane on Jalan Kenyalang 1 in Bayan Lepas, near here, will be closed for six days starting today following the discovery of a sinkhole.
Penang Public Works Department (JKR) said the road closure will remain in effect until Jan 25 as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of road users. “Road users in the area are advised to cooperate during the closure. Drive carefully, plan your journeys, and follow instructions from the authorities,” the department stated on its Facebook page yesterday. Meanwhile, State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari told reporters that the sinkhole was detected at 9.30 am and further investigations are ongoing. “The sinkhole measures approximately 2 metres (m) in length and width, with a depth of about 1.7 m. So far, the main road is unaffected but only the side lane is closed. “Initial measures have been taken by the relevant parties, including the installation of plastic barriers to block the road in both directions. Excavation of the sinkhole is being carried out to determine the exact cause,” he said.  Two men were killed after falling from the Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway (SPE) near Jalan Empat off Jalan Chan Sow Lin here last night, when their trailer lorry crashed into a road barrier.
In a statement, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Control Centre (PGO) said it received an emergency call regarding the incident at 8.55 pm and dispatched nine personnel and one fire engine from the Pudu Fire and Rescue Station to the scene. “Operations commander Nur Zahela Mohamad Zainal reported that upon arrival at the location, the team found that a trailer lorry had crashed into a concrete highway barrier, causing the driver and his assistant to be thrown off the elevated expressway. “Both victims were confirmed dead at the scene by paramedics from the Ministry of Health (MOH), and their bodies were handed over to the police for further action,” it said. The PGO also reported that another incident occurred at about the same time in a nearby area, involving a crane at a construction site, which resulted in a Pakistani man sustaining a leg injury while carrying out construction work. “The victim was given initial treatment by MOH ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital for further treatment,” the statement said.  A 31-year-old woman was killed in a fire at a rented room on the fourth floor of a shophouse building in Sarikei yesterday.
A Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department operations centre spokesperson said the victim, who was renting the room, was found unconscious in the bathroom and was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical officer. The department received a distress call at 4.51pm and a team from the Sarikei Fire and Rescue Station was dispatched to the shophouse, located about two kilometres from the station. “The fire involved a room which was turned into a rental unit on the fourth floor of a shophouse building, with damage estimated at 60 per cent,” the spokesperson said in a statement this evening. The body was handed over to the police at 7 pm for further action, and the operation ended at 7.55pm.  A man and his two children were killed today in a road crash involving a Perodua Viva and a Proton S70 on Jalan Kulim-Mahang, near SMK Sungai Kob.
Kulim deputy district police chief DSP Tengku Mohd Faisal Tengku Yeng said the victims have been identified as Muhammad Syazwan Mohd Surodjidin, 25, and his two sons, Muhammad Aqeel Afnan, 4, and Muhammad Affan Mikhael, 2 He said the Kulim district police headquarters (IPD) was alerted at 5.15 pm to a crash involving two vehicles, in which the three victims were confirmed dead at the scene. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the crash occurred when a Proton S70, driven by 27-year-old Mohamad Aqlan Marwan Mohamad Toha, lost control, veered into the opposite lane and collided with the car carrying the three victims,” he said in a media statement tonight. Tengku Mohd Faisal said the bodies had been sent to the Kulim Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem and the case was being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. Meanwhile, Kulim Hi-Tech Fire and Rescue Station chief Senior Assistant Fire Superintendent Azmir Hassan said the Kedah Fire and Rescue Department Operations Centre received a call regarding the accident at 5.09 pm. “Five personnel from the Kulim Hi-Tech BBP were dispatched to the scene, where the driver of the Perodua Viva was found pinned to his seat, with two boys inside the car,” he said. Azmir said all three victims were pronounced dead at the scene by medical officers from the Ministry of Health. “The Proton S70 reportedly caught fire at the scene, but the driver escaped with minor injuries and was taken to Kulim Hospital. “The two boys in the passenger seat of the Perodua Viva were removed with the help of members of the public, while fire personnel used special equipment to extricate the driver. The operation ended at 6.16pm,” he said.  Another Bangladeshi oil palm plantation worker has been reported dead after the lorry he was travelling in skidded off the road in a crash along Jalan Selancar–Redong near Kampung Perwira Jaya, Rompin, on Saturday.
Rompin District Police chief Supt Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said the death of the man, identified as Mohamad Askar, 41, at 4.15 pm today at Segamat Hospital, Johor, brought the total number of fatalities from the crash to three. “The victim, who was a rear passenger of the lorry, had earlier sustained severe head injuries and was taken to the hospital, while two other compatriots died at the scene of the crash yesterday,” he said in a statement tonight. Meanwhile, he said the driver of the lorry carrying oil palm pesticides, who was uninjured and did not possess a driving licence, was remanded for four days starting today to assist investigations under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. He said urine screening tests on the 45-year-old Bangladeshi driver were negative for drugs. Yesterday, the media reported that the incident at 2.25 pm resulted in the deaths of two Bangladeshi nationals, namely the front passenger of the lorry, Md Kader, 34, and a rear passenger, Md Dalim, 30. The crash is believed to have occurred when the lorry driver, who was ferrying the three passengers, attempted to overtake a car but lost control, causing the lorry skid to the left side of the road and overturn.  A Taiwanese woman was found drowned after she went snorkeling at Pantai Teluk Nipah near Pulau Pangkor yesterday.
Manjung district police chief ACP Hasbullah Abd Rahman said the victim, 72, was found by a tour guide at about 12.30 pm. “The victim was believed to be snorkeling at Pulau Giam with other members of her family,” he said when contacted tonight. He said a post-mortem will be conducted at Seri Manjung Hospital tomorrow, and that the case is classified as a sudden death report.  A full-term baby boy weighing 2.4 kilogrammes was found alive at an oil palm plantation at Ladang Karangan Agriculture here on Saturday.
Kinabatangan District Police chief Supt Ravi Duraisamy said a report on the discovery of the baby by a plantation worker was received at 7.27 pm. “The baby, estimated to be between three and five days old, was taken to Kinabatangan Hospital before being referred to Sandakan Hospital for further treatment and follow-up action by the welfare authorities,” he said in a statement here today. Ravi said members of the public with information related to the incident were urged to contact the Kinabatangan District Police Headquarters at 089-561890 or the investigating officer, Insp Nur Syafiqah Dahon, at 014-5573735. He said the case was being investigated under Section 317 of the Penal Code for concealment of birth with intent to abandon the baby. |