Yap Foo Siong, 57, and Ang Lay Peng, 40, are jointly accused of bribing a JPN staff in Putrajaya in exchange for facilitating a birth certificate application using fraudulent documents, namely the JPN.LM01 birth registration form and a maternity confirmation letter.

The alleged offense took place at a fast-food restaurant in Precinct 2, Putrajaya, at 9.50am on March 11, Bernama reported.

The charge was framed under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

The duo could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Selangor MACC prosecuting officer Arif Asyraf Khairi proposed bail of RM90,000 for each accused, with additional conditions requiring them to surrender their passports to the court, report to the MACC office monthly, and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.

Lawyer Ethan Tan, representing both accused, requested a lower bail of RM2,000, citing their financial burdens.

“Yap, a labourer, is married with two children, aged 10 and 15, and one of them is scheduled for spinal surgery, which will cost RM70,000.

“Meanwhile, Ang, a food vendor, is a single mother with two schoolgoing children and is also supporting her mother, who recently underwent heart surgery,” the lawyer said.

Judge Suzana Hussin granted bail at RM10,000 with one surety for each of the accused, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.

The case will be up for mention on April 22.