Magistrate's Court, Bandar Seri Begawan, 25th June 2024
Awang Asmali bin Abdullah was found guilty by the Court after trial and today sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for receiving gratification of $100 on 13 March 2022 and 18 months' imprisonment for receiving gratification of $200 on 26 April 2022 for contravening section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131, and 3 months' imprisonment for contravening Rule 329(q) of the Prisons Rules under the Prisons Act, Chapter 51. The sentences are to run consecutively, making it a total of 3 years and 3 months imprisonment. At the material time, Awang Asmali bin Abdullah was a prison warder at the Prisons Department.
On 19th September 2022, the defendant had pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed trial. The prosecution adduced evidence that the defendant received gratification from two (02) different persons, totalling $300.00 as an inducement or reward for allowing, without authorized permission, two (02) prisoners to communicate with persons outside of prison using the defendant's mobile phone. The prosecution also adduced evidence that the defendant had without lawful authority conveyed communication to a prisoner.
The Honorable Acting Senior Magistrate Dewi Norlelawati binti Hj Abdul Hamid imposed a custodial sentence on the defendant in view of the serious nature of the offences and seeing that the defendant had abused and exploited his position as a prison warder. The prosecution of this case was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Pg Hjh Nor Azmeena binti Pg Hj Mohiddin and the defendant was unrepresented.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau would like to remind the public including public servants serving under the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, not to abuse their position or powers entrusted to them and not to be involved in corruption as this is a serious offence and any person convicted of a corruption offence shall for each charge under Section 6 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131 be liable to a fine of $30,000 and imprisonment for 7 years.
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