KUALA LUMPUR: The Melaka High Court increased the prison sentence against a former assistant engineer at the Royal Malaysian Police Technical College in Bakri, Muar, Johor from 14 years to 37 years on eight charges of accepting bribes amounting to over RM400,000 involving works at the college.
Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis imposed the sentence on Hairudin Ngadiron, 48, and also increased the fine from RM341,000 to RM2.341 million.
The court handed down prison sentences ranging from four years to seven years and six months for the charges, making the total prison sentence 37 years.
However, the court ordered all the sentences to run concurrently beginning Friday (Nov 17), whereby the appellant would only have to serve a prison sentence of seven years and six months, and he would be imprisoned for another seven years if he failed to pay the fine.
Judge Anselm made the judgment after rejecting Hairudin's appeal against the conviction and prison sentence amounting to 14 years and a fine of RM341,000 handed down by the Melaka Sessions Court on Oct 23, 2020.
In his decision, the Judge also set aside the order of acquittal by the same Sessions Court against the first and second charges faced by Hairudin after allowing the prosecution's appeal and sentenced him to seven years and six months in prison and a fine of RM1 million for each charge.
For the third charge, the court imposed a prison sentence of six years and a fine of RM145,000 while for the fourth to sixth charges, the appellant was sentenced to four years in prison each and fined a total of RM149,000.
The court also upheld the four-year prison sentence and a fine amounting to RM47,000, for the seventh and eighth charges considering that the sentence handed down by the Melaka Sessions Court was sufficient.
Judge Anselm granted the appellant's request to stay the prison sentence and fine pending an appeal in the Court of Appeal.
According to all the charges, Hairudin was accused of corruptly accepting bribes in the form of cash and home repair items such as roofing iron, eaves, porch wood, tiles and house doors as well as vehicle repairs amounting to RM465,886.32 from January to April 2017.
The bribe was received from an individual as an inducement to receive orders to carry out works at Bakri PDRM Technical College, Muar, namely the repair of the building and security fence at the guardhouse, the repair work of the 25-metre semi-indoor target range and the operation and maintenance services of the swimming pool and diving pool in the school’s sports complex in 2016.
He is alleged to have committed all the offences at a house in Kampung Parit Gantung, Sungai Rambai Melaka, Jasin, Melaka and at a vehicle workshop in Parit Keroma, Muar, Johor.
The charges were framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Wai Keong while Hairudin was represented by lawyer Mohd Razak Sharif. - Bernama
