Kota Kinabalu: The High Court here Wednesday upheld the acquittal of a businessman, who had been charged with three counts of allegedly corruptly receiving three cheques totalling RM90,000 as inducement to settle a company’s debts.
Judicial Commissioner Ratanah Devi Yusof Perumal dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against the Sessions Court decision in freeing the respondent Kong Yin Siong and affirmed the acquittal.
Kong, now 59, was discharged and acquitted by the Keningau Sessions Court on July 15, 2022 after a full trial.
He had been charged with three counts of allegedly corruptly receiving cheques totalling RM90,000 as inducement to allegedly arrange payment of a company’s outstanding debts.
The first count allegedly involved a cheque for RM50,000, the second RM20,000, and the third RM20,000, each allegedly given through an intermediary to facilitate settlement of separate debts owed by the company.
The offences were said to have allegedly taken place at a company’s office in Keningau between August and September 2014.
Each charge, under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, provide for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times of the bribery amount or RM10,000 or any amount which higher on conviction.
Kong was represented by Dominic Chew in the appeal.
In another case, two men were sentenced to 11 months jail by the Magistrate’s Court for disposing of a stolen motorcycle.
Hiew Wen Jian and Dexter Dony pleaded guilty before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin to committing the offence on the Yamaha motorcycle belonging to one Larry on Aug 13, 2025.
The offence is punishable under Section 414 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of not less than six months and up to seven years, and may also be liable to a fine, on conviction.
The court was informed by the prosecution that on Aug 13, last year, the complainant lodged a police report at 8.50pm claiming that his motorcycle parked at Donggongon town, in Penampang went missing and believed to be stolen.
On Aug 18, the same year, at 4.30pm, Hiew and Dexter were arrested by police in Papar in relation to the current case.
Unrepresented, both Hiew and Dexter, who currently serving jail sentence for another offence, requested a lenient sentence.
Inspector Yusdi Basri prosecuting, applied a deterrent sentence.
The court ordered them to serve the sentence from the date of their arrest and ordered the motorcycle to be returned to its owner.
