00:00A former government communications official has walked free from a bribery charge
00:03after settling a compound payment with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
00:07The KL Sessions Court on Wednesday acquitted and discharged 45-year-old Noor Fazreen Muhammad Kamal
00:14from a charge of receiving a bribe worth 5,268 ringgit, an offence allegedly committed three years ago.
00:22Judge Susanna Hossein made the decision after M.A.C.C., prosecuting officer Asselvam,
00:27informed the court that the accused had paid a compound following a representation submitted
00:32to the prosecution. According to the prosecution, the M.A.C.C. offered Noor Fazreen a compound
00:39under Section 92 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act on 7 May. She settled the payment five days later
00:46on May 12. The prosecution then moved to withdraw both the main charge under Section 17 Subsection A
00:52of the M.A.C.C. Act 2009 and an alternative charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code.
00:59The amount of the compound was not disclosed in court. Noor Fazreen, a mother of four and former
01:05head of a ministry's corporate communications unit, had been accused of receiving the bribe
01:09from a woman at a bank in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 2023. The payment, described as partial payment
01:16for a gold bracelet, was allegedly made as an inducement for her to verify exhibition equipment
01:21rental services for a company. Had she been convicted, Noor Fazreen could have faced up to
01:2720 years in prison and a fine of no less than five times the value of the bribe, or 10
01:32,000 ringgit,
01:32whichever is higher.
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