Bandar Seri Begawan: A defendant, Houng Yu Kai, was found guilty after trial on an alternative count of abetment of an offence under Section 165 of the Penal Code, Chapter 22.
According to Radio Television Brunei, evidence obtained in the course of investigations conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed that the defendant had abetted a public servant, Mohd Shah Nurul Ridzuan bin Haji Maiddin, in committing an offence. This offence involved the acquisition of one thousand dollars without consideration or for a consideration known to be inadequate. The defendant was aware that this had a connection with the official functions of the public servant, who served as a Staff Officer (Grade II) with the duty of processing payment for work provided by the defendant's company, Ari Cando Contractor, to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The court imposed on the defendant a custodial sentence of 16 months' imprisonment, starting from a baseline of 18 months. The sentence is set to commence on 10th May 2025.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Hajah Rozaimah binti Haji Abd Rahman. The defendant was represented by Counsel Ahmad Basuni bin Haji Abas of Abrahams, Davidson and Company.