KOTA KINABALU: A civil servant, Mohd Syamsul Jikan, 47, has been sentenced to 30 years in jail and fined RM852,000 after being found guilty on 30 counts of power abuse.
Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga delivered the verdict after a full trial, concluding that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court then imposed one-year jail and a fine between RM10,000 and RM62,000 for each charge. The jail sentences are to be run concurrently.
Despite the severe sentencing, Mohd Syamsul has been granted a stay of execution pending an appeal to the High Court.
The charges against Mohd Syamsul stem from his submission of quotations from Syarikat Emmy Stationery, a company he owned, to supply goods to the Cure and Care Rehabilitation Centre (CCRC) in Papar.
The offences occurred between January and October 2015 at the CCRC office in Jalan Papar-Beaufort, Papar.
The charges were brought under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
The law provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Franklin Ganggam Bennet represented the prosecution, while lawyer Hamid Ismail defended Mohd Syamsul.
The prosecution presented 19 witnesses during the hearing, with Mohd Syamsul serving as the sole defence witness.
