In the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court, Judge Tuan Haji Jamaludin Haji Mat acquitted Lee Beng Ooi of a bribery charge under Section 17(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009. Lee, an Inspector from the Narcotics Division, was accused of accepting a RM3,000 bribe from Aziz Bin Abdullah on February 29, 2016. The bribe was allegedly in exchange for a more lenient charge for Aziz’s son, Firdaus Bin Asmadi, who had been arrested for drug possession.
During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tuan Ahmad Adha presented 13 prosecution witnesses. However, the defense pointed out a lack of evidence, noting that the cash bribe was not presented in court and no recorded conversations supported the prosecution’s case. The judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case, leading to Lee’s acquittal.
The prosecution appealed the decision, but High Court Judge YA Dato’ Abdul Wahab Bin Mohamed upheld the acquittal after hearing submissions from both sides. Lee was represented by Dato’ Geethan Ram Vincent and Revin Kumar during both the trial and the appeal.
