Punishment of Bribery and Corruption: Evidence from the Malaysian Judicial System

Abstract

We investigate the judicial outcomes of crimes involving bribery and corruption in the context of the Malaysian judicial system. Using a sample of 1869 court cases over the period 2006 to 2013, we find that ‘white-collar’ workers, politically connected offenders, government employees, female offenders, indigenous Malaysians (Bumiputera) and private attorney offenders receive more lenient treatment compared to others. Evidence is also found that prior conviction of the offender and the seriousness of the offencee play significant roles in determining the fines and imprisonment of the offender. Moreover, young offenders receive harsher sentences compared to older offenders in terms of jail sentences but young offenders receive lower fines compared to older offender. We also find that more educated offenders receive more fines but fewer jail sentences. Our findings clearly suggest that not everybody is equal in the eyes of the Malaysian judicial system.