A 45-year-old local man yesterday pleaded guilty to five charges of corruption under Section 12B of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131, with two additional offences taken into consideration.
The court heard that in August 2023, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested an individual suspected of drug misuse. Investigations revealed that the arrested individual possessed confidential information about NCB operations, which had been disclosed by the defendant, Muhammad Ali Iskandar bin Mustapha. Muhammad Ali Iskandar, an assistant narcotics officer II with access to sensitive operational data, was arrested and referred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for further investigation.
The ACB’s findings confirmed that between June and August 2023, Muhammad Ali Iskandar disclosed confidential information on seven occasions to the arrested individual, who was also supplying drugs to him. The defendant’s actions were motivated by a desire to purchase drugs at a lower cost and to shield his supplier from NCB’s enforcement actions.
Initially pleading not guilty on March 19, Muhammad Ali Iskandar changed his plea to guilty on December 26, before Senior Magistrate Hajah Azrimah binti Haji Abdul Rahman. During the proceedings yesterday, the defendant, represented by Defence Counsel Sheikh Noordin Sheikh Mohammad, admitted to the charges presented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Khalillah binti Hussin.
The defendant is currently held in prison and awaiting for sentencing on January 6, 2025.
At this juncture, the ACB issued a reminder to public servants to refrain from abusing their authority or engaging in corruption. The bureau emphasised that corruption is a grave offence punishable by a fine of up to BND30,000 and imprisonment for up to seven years. – Fadley Faisal
