The accused, Muhammad Solihan Johari, 37, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Izralizam Sanusi after the charge was read out to him.

The court also ordered him to be jailed for three months if he failed to pay the fine, according to a Sinar Harian report.

Solihan was charged with accepting the RM21,100 bribe from a man, Lew, 44, through a savings account belonging to a woman.

The purpose of the bribe was to help assist in the processing of travel documents for foreigners which involved visas and permits from the Malaysian immigration department.

The charges against Solihan were framed under Section 25 (1) and (2) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides for an imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or both.

The offence was allegedly committed at a Maybank branch in Taman Connaught, Cheras between Feb 14 and May 25, 2018.

During the proceeding, the accused, who was not represented, appealed for a lenient sentence and said he regretted the act.

“I have two children who are still young and I’m suffering from a herniated disc,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharudin Wan Ladin suggested that the accused be fined between RM25,000 and RM40,000, as he pleaded guilty after the first charge was read out to him.

According to the facts of the case the accused met Lew in 2012. Lew was an agent for Vietnamese nationals and helped bring foreigners in and out of Malaysia besides running a matchmaking business for Malaysians who wanted Vietnamese women as their partner.

Lew handed over his wife’s bank card to Solihan as it was easier for him to transfer the RM250 bribe for every Vietnamese national brought into Malaysia without following legal procedures. It was also to avoid detection by the authorities.

In 2018, Solihan received RM21,100 through three transactions for helping Lew.

With the money, Solihan had bought various items including a motorcycle, bicycle, mobile phone, watches of various brands and jewellery.

Earlier, the MACC reportedly detained 46 individuals, including 27 immigration department officers, in a simultaneous raid in four states, who were suspected of being involved with syndicates using fake stamps for entry and exit at the country’s borders.

The raids were carried out in Putrajaya, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching by the MACC in collaboration with the immigration department.