Former Immigration Officer Sentenced to Two Years for Corruption

Bandar Seri Begawan: The Magistrate’s Court has sentenced Hajah Nurul Huda @ Hajah Rusiati binti Abdullah, a 34-year-old former Immigration Officer, to two years’ imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to four charges of corruption under Section 6 bracket A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131. The offences involved accepting monetary rewards from an Indonesian national between October 2023 and July 2024, in exchange for facilitating the unlawful departure of foreign nationals from Brunei Darussalam without the required re-entry permits, in violation of the Immigration Act, Chapter 17.

According to Radio Television Brunei, investigations revealed that the defendant had knowingly accepted payments, both in cash and via bank transfer, amounting to a total of 500 dollars. These payments were made in return for her assistance in allowing foreign individuals to leave Brunei unlawfully. The offences came to light after Malaysian Immigration authorities at Miri ICQ detected discrepancies in a foreign national’s travel records and discovered another concealed individual in a vehicle. This prompted a cross-border investigation, which was subsequently referred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

In mitigation, the defence counsel for the defendant urged the Court to consider the defendant’s personal circumstances, including her early guilty plea, cooperation during investigation, and the relatively small sum involved, in seeking a more lenient sentence. The Prosecution, however, argued that corruption, regardless of the amount, erodes public trust and leads to disintegration of public administration, particularly when committed by enforcement officers in positions of responsibility.

During sentencing, the Court highlighted the defendant’s serious breach of public trust as an enforcement officer responsible for safeguarding Brunei’s immigration borders. The court further held that a custodial sentence was necessary to reflect the seriousness of the offence, to send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated to safeguard public trust and to preserve the stability of the country. The Court ordered that the sentences for two of the four charges run consecutively, with the remaining charges to run concurrently, resulting in a total sentence of two years’ imprisonment, effective from the date of conviction on 8 February 2025. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Fitri Kiprawi, while the defendant was represented by Pg Khairul Nizam bin Pg Hj Mohd Yassin of Messrs Yusof Halim and Partners.