SEREMBAN: A 38-year-old inspector-of-works has been fined RM25,000 and sentenced to 14 days in jail by the Sessions Court here after he pleaded guilty to accepting a RM5,000 bribe.

Judge Rushan Lutfi Mohamed also ordered Mohd Zakiuddin Ridzuan to serve a further six months in jail if he was unable to pay the fine.

The accused was charged with committing the offence between noon and 2pm at a fast food outlet in Tampin on March 15 last year.

He was said to have accepted the bribe from one A. Santhakumaran as an inducement to verify a "Request for Inspection" document prepared by RC Metal Sdn Bhd for work being carried out at the Rembau Sports Complex.

Mohd Zakiudin was charged under Section 16(a) (A) of the MACC Act 2009, which was punishable under Section 24(1) of the same legislation.

Offenders can be jailed up to 20 years and fined not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Earlier in Tuesday's (June 21) proceeding, Mohd Zakiuddin, who was unrepresented, appealed to the court for a light sentence as this was his first offence.

He also told the court that he had to provide for his wife, two children and a sick mother.

He had also been finding it difficult to secure a permanent job since he lost his previous one and supported his family by working as an ehailing driver.

However, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Azriff Firdaus Mohamad Ali asked the court to impose a sentence that was commensurate with the crime and one that would be a deterrent to would-be offenders.