Corrupt Policeman In Melaka

If you ever get into an accident in Melaka, avoid Sgt. Sulaiman at all cost!

He's one of the three sergeants in charge of traffic accidents in the Melaka Tengah police station, which effectively puts him in charge of 1/3 of all accident cases in the entire Melaka.

I had a freak accident at the end of February, where a car slammed into the back of my stationary car, as I was waiting to turn into a side street. As the damage was quite substantial, we both reported the accident at the Melaka Tengah police station.

Unfortunately, the case was placed under Sgt. Sulaiman. Although the case report was quickly and efficiently written up by the trooper in charge, things got troublesome when it came to dealing with Sgt. Sulaiman.

Workshop workers had earlier warned me that if I do not get the proper papers for them, they would have to "buy" them from corrupt cops like Sgt. Sulaiman for RM 100-200. If they do not do it, they will make it very difficult for them to get the necessary papers for insurance claims.

According to them, if I paid him myself, it would cost me less - usually just RM 50. So, they recommended that I pay him RM 50 to expedite the papers as well as ensure I get the full paperwork.

When I asked Sgt. Sulaiman for the papers, he told me that they would take at least a week and would only be available to the workshop where I intend to repair the car.

To counter that, I told him I wanted to take the car back to Penang for repairs. Since Penang was out of his jurisdiction, he would effectively have to pass me all the papers, no excuse.

However, unbeknownst to me, the workshop worker actually called Sgt. Sulaiman to inform him that I would be going to pay him the bribe for the paperwork.

When I arrived, I stuck to my story of going to Penang to effect the repairs, instead of here in Melaka. Sgt. Sulaiman became quite pissed. He told me that "normally, these papers cost RM 50" and told me to come get them the next week. Evidently, he was trying to make things difficult for me.

So, I tried going to the police clerk and getting the paperwork through that channel. Luckily, I was able to get the report, etc. through that channel for an official fee of only RM 4.

However, Sgt. Sulaiman must have complained to the workshop worker. So, when it came time to finalize the insurance claims, the workshop worker called me up to tell me that I was missing an important cover sheet, which only Sgt. Sulaiman can provide.

He actually ordered me to pay him the bribe if I wanted the insurance claim to go through. And he told me that because I refused to pay him RM 50 earlier, Sgt. Sulaiman wanted RM 100 this time.

Riled because I've had to go to the police station for 3-4 times just for paperwork, I went to meet Sgt. Sulaiman. I was really tired of the hassle of going to the police station and waiting to see him. So, I asked him directly, "How much do you want?".

Maybe it was my brazen attitude but he refused to answer. He called up the workshop worker and discussed with him. In the end, he just told me, "You settle it with xxxxx.".

And then, he gave me the cover sheet, as well as the opposite party's accident report. When I checked with the police clerk as well as a police superintendent, they told me that the cover sheet was actually unnecessary for insurance claims; and only insurance agencies and workshops were allowed to ask for the opposite party's accident report. So, it's evident I was sent there merely to "pay" Sgt. Sulaiman off.

Because I was really tired of all this hassle, I asked a friend to drop off the documentation with the workshop worker. Surprisingly, he didn't ask my friend to settle the bribe. I thought it was over...

Unfortunately, it was not.

A week or so later, I went to the police station again. And to my horror, Sgt. Sulaiman spotted me. He immediately called up the workshop worker and complained that I didn't pay him yet. That worker then called me up and told me I did not keep to my end of the bargain and threatened to deep-six the insurance claim by returning the paperwork to Sgt. Sulaiman if I did not pay him RM 100 immediately.

Pissed, I told him that we would report the matter to the anti-corruption agency. He hung up.

I called up the insurance agency a few days ago and it appears that they didn't forward my claim yet. But when I called up the clerk at the workshop, she claimed to have sent the documentation on the same day. So, I guess I will just need to wait a few days and see if the insurance agency receives the paperwork.

If you ever get into an accident in Melaka, make sure you ask for Sgt. Khalid. He's as straight as an arrow. When my friend was involved in an accident last month, he got the paperwork done the day after my friend submitted his paperwork! He even called my friend up to collect the paperwork and he NEVER asked for any bribes.

 

Well, when you think about it, it's really his words against mine.

 

you should record all the conversations

 

:O :O :O Wow. My two experiences with the cops here in PJ was quite straightforward. But of course, those were to pay my compound with using the handphone while driving

 

Well, the other sergeant is as straight as an arrow. If he handles your case, you will have no such problems.

A friend recently had to report TWO accidents in a small police station in Penang. He had no problem with the police there either. In fact, they actually gave him a form to tick the paperwork he wanted!

I also had a pretty good experience with policemen in the Damansara Utama police station. They were friendly and helpful. And they certainly did not ask me for bribes or did anything improper.

Ahhh.. Another police station to avoid is the Tampin police station. I had an accident near there a long time ago. And the police sergeant there actually asked me to pay him RM 50 for the report.

No offence to those who believe that the police here are really poorly paid. In fact, I agree that they are not well paid at all. HOWEVER, you don't see government doctors or teachers asking for bribes to do their jobs!

Imagine how profitable it would be if we asked the patient to slip us an extra RM 500 before we slice them up on the table. Pay up and you will get a short, uneventful operation. Refuse and ...

 

Yeah, definitely. When I checked which workshop he was actually from, I discovered that this workshop was actually the one that the corrupt Sgt. Sulaiman was trying to recommend me!

So, it appears that this workshop (PM me if you want the name) and Sgt. Sulaiman has a very cozy, long-term relationship. That's probably why the workshop worker kept trying to force me to pay the bribe. He actually told me, "You MUST do it if you want to get your papers!"

 

Yeah, that's the usual method. But if you do it that way, they will pad the cost of repairs to include the bribe of RM 100-200.

According to another workshop operator, this is the way it works.

If they do not comply, then the sergeant can make it VERY difficult for them to get the proper papers they need to process the claims. If they play by the rules, then the sergeant will get them the papers quickly and without fuss.

That's what some workshops will ask you not to mention their name if you intend to collect the paperwork yourself. It prevents them from getting into the sergeant's bad books, which would be really bad for business.

Unfortunately, in this case, the workshop is really tight with the sergeant. Therefore, they will do all they can to ensure that the sergeant gets his "fair share".

 

Really? I feel that Singaporean police is a lot more honest (and stricter) than Malaysian police.