A senior immigration officer, Zulkifly Abd Za’par, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined RM20,000 by the Johor Bahru Sessions Court for soliciting and accepting bribes from two vegetable suppliers six years ago.
Judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail found Zulkifly guilty of 19 offences under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act. He had sought RM2,000 monthly and received a total of RM50,000 in bribes in exchange for not taking action against the suppliers’ undocumented foreign workers.
The court ordered the jail terms for the 19 charges to run concurrently. Zulkifly, formerly attached to the immigration department’s anti-trafficking and anti-money laundering division, committed the offences between 2019 and 2020 in Johor Bahru.
During the trial, Zulkifly claimed the money he received was “consultant fees” and alleged that an MACC officer, Rasyidi Said, had “victimised” him. The court dismissed these claims, describing his defence as a bare denial that attempted to divert attention from the evidence.
According to the case facts, Zulkifly met the two suppliers in 2018 to discuss work permit applications. He informed them that the deadline had passed and then asked how much they were willing to pay. The suppliers indicated RM1,000 monthly with a gesture, and payments continued until all three men were arrested by MACC in 2020.
