The High Court on September 11 reversed the acquittal of a 55-year-old Bruneian permanent resident, Chin Chee Vun following an appeal by the public prosecutor.
Chin, who was previously acquitted of corruption charges, was found guilty and convicted under Section 6(b), Chapter 131 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The judgment handed down by Judicial Commissioner Haji Abdullah Soefri bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin ruled that the findings of the Senior Magistrate in the initial trial were against the weight of the evidence.
Chin, the general manager of a local company at the time, was convicted of instigating his subordinate to bribe a female customs inspection officer with the Royal Customs and Excise Department, Ministry of Finance and Economy, in October 2021. The bribe was intended as an inducement for the officer to overlook violations related to customs declarations.
Deputy public prosecutor Hajah Rozaimah binti Haji Abdul Rahman argued that the Senior Magistrate had erred in law and fact by misinterpreting the charge’s ingredients and failing to weigh the prosecution’s evidence adequately. She also highlighted that the subordinate had already pleaded guilty in July 2022 to corruptly giving BND20 to the customs officer at Muara Port’s customs guardhouse.
The subordinate was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, reduced from a starting point of 12 months, for his involvement.
The High Court emphasised the credibility of the prosecution’s case, noting that Chin’s defence of a “bare denial” lacked merit when compared to the evidence presented.
Sentencing for Chin has been reserved to a later date. Chin faces a potential fine of BND30,000 and imprisonment for up to seven years. – Fadley Faisal
