A senior Customs officer has been charged with taking nearly half a million ringgit in bribes on seven occassions.
The officer from the Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ) had allegedly skipped the inspection of vehicles carrying liquor in order for them to avoid paying duty.
The Star Online reports that Harun Baba, 57, claimed trial to seven charges at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
Harun had allegedly taken RM50,000 in bribe on the first occasion at a parking lot as a reward for falsely reporting that an inspection has been carried out on a vehicle transporting liquor.
The other six charges involve him accepting, on separate occasions, RM68,800, RM46,100, RM109,800, RM97,000, RM162,000 and RM153,000 at a parking lot of the Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya in April 2011 and the Customs Free Zone division at PKFZ between April to August this year.
The Star reported that Harun was unable to post bail as his salary had been frozen along with the bank accounts of his wife and children.
Judge Noradidah Ahmad allowed bail at RM100,000 and ordered Harun to surrender his passport.
