By Nour Maghfirah –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 13 OCT – The 52-year-old Senior Chief Immigration Officer was convicted last Saturday for five offenses under Section 165 of the Criminal Code, Chapter 22.
Senior Magistrate Azrimah Abdul Rahman fixed October 19 for mitigation and punishment.
Seruji bin Haji Setia was acquitted of a separate charge under the Prevention of Corruption Act after the prosecution failed to prove the allegation. He was charged on March 2, 2023, following a thorough investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
During the trial, which included testimony from 21 witnesses, it was revealed that Seruji received $100 from the manager of an employment agency in September 2022, an act linked to his official capacity as Head of the Work Pass Section at the Department of Immigration and National Registration. Furthermore, between 2021 and 2022, Seruji obtained several valuable items without payment from a company, including three carpet rolls valued at $1,420, five carpet rolls valued at $1,344, sofa cushion covers valued at $650 and car seat cushion covers.
The upcoming mention date allows both Deputy Public Prosecutor Rozaimah Abdul Rahman and Defense Attorney Ahmad Basuni Abbas to present their arguments regarding mitigation and punishment.
