Kota Kinabalu: A 45-year-old police sergeant was charged in the Corruption Special Court, here, on Wednesday with allegedly receiving a RM4,000 bribe from a man as an inducement to release a detainee.
Sergeant Sazaly Sahaji pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus after the charge was read to him.
He was accused of receiving the cash bribe from one Al Sadam Madusin at Restoran Maimumah Maju, Kepayan, around 10am on July 28, 2024, to secure the release of a detainee known as Disa.
The offence, under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The court fixed Dec 12, 2025, for pre-trial case management and March 2–3, 2026, for the hearing.
Pending disposal of the case, Sazaly was released on RM10,000 bail, with RM5,000 deposited in two local sureties.
He was also ordered to report to the Inanam police station once a month, refrain from tampering with prosecution witnesses, and surrender his passport.
During proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dk Afiqah Alya Ak Johari proposed bail of RM10,000 with two sureties and additional conditions.
However, defence counsel Sylester Kuan sought a lower bail, citing that Sazaly had been suspended from duty and is the sole breadwinner for his three children.
Sylester also requested that the sureties be the same as in Sazaly’s two pending drug-related cases.
