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Bribe was actually ‘dowry’, Corruption Court told BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Court - New 2 Sarawak

Bribe was actually ‘dowry’, Corruption Court told

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:46 AM PST

by Suraini Andokong. Posted on February 8, 2014, Saturday

KOTA KINABALU: The Corruption Court here yesterday heard that the money in the sum of RM5,000 allegedly given by a former restaurant manager to his father-in-law was not a bribe.

The aunt of Riduan Masmud's second wife told judge Ishak Bakri that she agreed with a suggestion by counsel Ram Singh that the cash allegedly given by Riduan to her brother (Riduan's father-in-law) was not corruption money.

However, the witness disagreed to another suggestion by Ram that the cash was for 'berian' (dowry) for her 12-year-old-and-six-month niece.

The sixth prosecution witness further disagreed that the cash was not for her niece to withdraw her police report lodged against Riduan for raping her (Riduan's second wife).

Riduan, 41, faces three charges framed under Section 16 (b) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) 2009 (694 Act) which is punishable by a maximum jail of 20 years and a fine of up to five times of the bribery amount or RM10,000 depending on which amount is higher, upon conviction.

On the first count, the accused was alleged to have corruptly offered his father-in-law RM5,000 as an inducement for his daughter (the accused's wife) to withdraw her police report that she was allegedly raped by the accused.

The alleged offence was committed outside the security hut of an institute at Jalan Tuaran by-pass at about 9pm on April 18 last year.

On the second and the third charges, Riduan was accused of giving the same man RM2,000 and RM3,000, respectively, for the same purpose outside the security hut of an institute at Jalan Tuaran by-pass at about 9pm and at a canteen at Jalan Tuaran Lama between 11pm and 12 midnight, respectively, on the same day.

Under examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Joyce Blasius, the witness testified that she took two of her brother's kids into her care which are Riduan's second wife and her sister.

"At that time in 2011, my brother (Riduan's father-in-law) was jobless and I felt pity for him and I decided to take his daughters into my care and last year, I lodged a police report after my niece's friend told me that my niece (Riduan's second wife) was raped by Riduan.

She further said that she felt angry and dissatisfied after she knew that her niece had withdrew her police report against Riduan.

"I was informed by the investigating officer of my niece's rape case that my niece had withdrawn the police report and I had no knowledge about the withdrawal of the police report," she responded to a question by Blasius.

She said that upon receiving the information from the police, she immediately met her brother and they had a conversation.

When asked by Blasius "What did your brother say?"

She responded and answered that, "My brother said that there was no need to talk too much as everything had been solved and it was useless to make noise, he also said that he had received RM5,000 cash from Riduan."

Meanwhile, during the morning proceedings, Inspector Sylvia Martin Dalok, who was the investigating officer of Riduan's rape charge, testified that her role in Riduan's corruption case was to record the statements of the girl and her father.

She said that apart from that after the police report was withdrawn, she then recorded the statements of Riduan and his brother.

Sylvia also said that during the first hearing of Riduan's rape charge, he did not turn up in court but during the afternoon she was informed by Riduan himself that he had married the girl.

The head of the village of Riduan's father-in-law testified that the father of the girl had asked for verification of his daughter's single status as well as to verify that his daughter was a resident of the village.

Riduan, who failed to pay his RM15,000 bail for a stay of his execution against his 12 years' jail and two whippings for raping the girl, whom he later married, was seen escorted by prison personnel.

Also seen in court were his first wife and eldest teenage daughter, who approached and hugged him after the morning proceedings as he was about to leave the court.

Riduan was heard asking his daughter to look after her siblings, after which she was seen sobbing loudly outside the courtroom.

Blasius was assisted by MACC prosecuting officer Michael Joimin while Ram together with YS Lo represented Riduan.

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