Following the conviction of a 52-year-old Senior Chief Immigration Officer last Saturday, both the prosecution and defence submitted their written arguments for sentencing and mitigation. Senior Magistrate Azrimah Abdul Rahman has scheduled the sentencing for October 28.
Seruji bin Haji Setia was found guilty of five offences under Section 165 of the Penal Code, Cap 22. However, he was acquitted of a separate charge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to support that claim.
Seruji was charged on March 2, 2023, following an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
During the trial, which featured testimony from 21 witnesses, it was revealed that Seruji accepted BND100 from a manager of an employment agency in September 2022, an act linked to his official role as Head of the Work Pass Section at the Department of Immigration and National Registration.
Additionally, between 2021 and 2022, he obtained several valuable items without payment from a furniture and home décor store operating in the Sultanate.
These items included three rolls of carpets worth BND1,420, five rolls of carpets valued at BND1,344, sofa cushion covers estimated at BND650, and car seat cushion covers.
The court will take into account, among others, the submissions from Deputy Public Prosecutor Rozaimah Abdul Rahman and defence counsel Ahmad Basuni Abbas on handing sentence. – Fadley Faisal
