'Tonto' claims trial to 55 charges of bribing traffic cops RM62,900

Shah Alam: Ang Lie Giap, a 33-year-old lookout, entered a not guilty plea at the Sessions Court today to charges of giving RM62,900 to three traffic police officers between January 2022 and February 2023. The charges allege that Ang provided money to officers from the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters, Negri Sembilan Police Contingent Headquarters, and Kesas Expressway EMPV Patrol Office as an inducement to refrain from inspecting lorries during roadblocks.

The bribes were allegedly given in several transactions at bank branches in Klang and Setia Alam, ranging from RM700 to RM2,000. Meanwhile, R Yuvarajakumar, a 42-year-old logistics manager, pleaded not guilty to 16 charges of offering RM4,200 to a Road Transport Department enforcement assistant between May 2023 and October 2024.

The father of two is accused of giving money to an RTD enforcement assistant at Wangsa Maju through multiple transactions into a woman's bank account at a Sungai Buloh bank branch to avoid inspections. Both cases fall under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of RM10,000 or more.

The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmaa Zamri. Bail for Ang was initially set at RM15,000, which was later reduced to RM10,000 due to the applicant's frequent travel for religious reasons and the pregnancy of his wife. For Yuvarajakumar, bail was initially RM10,000 and then reduced to RM5,000, as it was his first offense and he needed to support his mother.

Both are required to report to the MACC office monthly and not interfere with witnesses. The court set December 3 for the next mention.