Rafizi sentenced to 18 months' jail

KUALA LUMPUR: Pandan MP Mohd Rafizi Ramli (pic) has been sentenced to 18 months in jail by the Sessions Court for unauthorised possession of the 1MDB audit report and exposing it to the media.

Sessions Judge Zulqarnain Hassan granted a stay on the sentence pending appeal but increased bail to RM5,000 from RM3,000.

Rafizi was charged with possessing Page 98 of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd audit report without approval, which he acquired in violation of the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).

Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution states that an MP is disqualified if sentenced to jail for a year or more or fined RM2,000 and above and has not received a pardon.

Rafizi was charged with possessing Page 98 of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd audit report without approval, which he acquired in violation of the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).

He was said to have committed the offence at the Parliament lobby in Jalan Parlimen here at 3pm on March 24 this year.

Rafizi, 39, was also accused of exposing without approval, the contents of the same page of the audit report during a press conference on March 28, thus endangering the secret.

He had on April 8 claimed trial to violating the OSA. He was later released on a RM3,000 bail pending disposal of the case.