A judge rebuked an illegal migrant for pleading guilty to bribery at a court in Selangor when it was found that the defendant had not understood the charges he faced when they were read out in Malay.
Shah Alam Sessions Court heard that the Indonesian man was told to produce his personal identification documents when he was stopped by a traffic police officer at a checkpoint in the motorcycle lane of the Petaling Jaya Expressway on October 3, the China Press reported.
Found to have overstayed his visa, he allegedly tried to bribe the officer with an offer of 100 ringgit (US$24) in return for being allowed to stay in Malaysia. The migrant was immediately arrested.
He pleaded guilty when the case was mentioned in court Friday, but then said he could not understand when the charges were read out in Malay, earning a reprimand from the judge. The case was adjourned for trial on November 12.
If found guilty of violating Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, the man could face a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine equivalent to five times the amount of the bribe, or a penalty of 10,000 ringgit (US$2,407).