New Straits Times 29 Jan 10;
JOHOR BARU: Three government servants -- two from the Customs Department and one from the State Land and Mines Office -- were charged at the Sessions Court yesterday with offences related to sand smuggling.
Johor Customs technical services personnel Kamarudin Ismail, 49, pleaded not guilty to three charges of accepting bribes totalling RM3,500 on three occasions last year to expedite and facilitate an application for the classification of items by Zacharias Kho.
Judge Salawati Djambari set bail at RM5,000 with one surety and fixed trial on May 10 to 12 next year.
In another court, Assistant Customs enforcement officer Syahrol Md Zain, 31, claimed trial to two charges of receiving a total of RM5,600 from Sendry Anak Ugi, 34, as inducement for him not to take action against lorry drivers who smuggled sand into Singapore.
Syahrol, of Taman Pulai Emas, Kangkar Pulai, was alleged to have received a RM2,400 from Sendry, 34, at Room 1252 of Hotel The Zon at Jalan Ibrahim Sultan here about 1.15pm last July 10 and RM3,200 from the same person at the Trevi Lounge at the Grand BlueWave Hotel here about 7.37pm last Aug 5.
State Land and Mines Office worker Johairi Ahmad, 41, was charged before with accepting RM800 on Aug 6, last year from Sendry as inducement for him not to take action on four lorries which smuggled sand into Singapore on Aug 6 last year.
