KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): Two senior police officers were charged at the Sessions Court here on Tuesday with accepting a bribe of RM1 million from a businessman, to close an investigation allegedly linked to the purchase of firearms by an Israeli citizen last month.

Senior Assistant Director of Forensic Accounting Investigations, Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) Bukit Aman, ACP Chin Kiam Kong, 54, and its Cryptocurrency Crime Investigation Unit head, DSP Suhairon Abdullah, 42, pleaded not guilty to two charges before judge Azura Alwi.

On both charges, Chin and Suhairon were jointly charged as officers of the police force, with agreeing to accept and accepting a cash bribe of RM1 million from Khoo Zixian, 28, as an inducement to help close a criminal investigation against him in connection with an offence under Section 120 of the Penal Code (Act 574).

The offence was allegedly committed in the meeting room of the forensic accounting/cryptocurrency investigation division of the commercial crime investigation department at Menara KPJ in Jalan Tun Razak here, between noon and 1pm on April 8 last year, and in the parking area of ​​the building between 4.29pm and 4.40pm that same day.

The charge, framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694), read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code (Act 574), provides imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

In the same court, Chin pleaded not guilty to two other charges of agreeing to accept a bribe and accepting a bribe of RM250,000 to help close a criminal investigation against Khoo, for an offence under Section 420 of the Penal Code (Act 574).

He was alleged to have committed the offence at the office of the senior assistant director of forensic accounting investigations at Menara KPJ here, at 12.30pm on April 18 this year, and at a parking lot at the building between 10.30am and 1pm on April 19.

Deputy public prosecutor Syed Faisal Syed Amir requested bail at RM100,000 each, and an additional condition for them to surrender their passports to the court.

Lawyer Jacky Loi, representing Chin, requested bail at RM20,000, saying that his client had served the police force for 29 years and has four children, one of whom is still studying abroad. Meanwhile, lawyer Ridha Abdah Subri, representing Suhairon, who has served the police force for 20 years and is supporting a wife and four children, requested bail at RM15,000.

Azura then set bail at RM40,000 each, with one or two sureties, and ordered the two accused to surrender their passports to the court.

She set July 30, 2024 for mention, for the submission of documents.