Former Sime Darby GM to serve only two years in jail

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd senior general manager Md Zaki Othman (pic), who was jailed for a total of 27 years on five counts of corruption involving more than RM180,000, will now serve only two years in jail.

In rejecting Md Zaki's appeal, High Court Judicial Commissioner Ab Karim Ab Rahman said Tuesday there is no reason for him to disturb the Sessions Court findings as the trial judge was right in handing down the decision.

He said the jail term for corruption is suitable but it should not be too long.

"I now reduce the 27 years' jail sentence to two years' jail for each charge and the sentences are to run concurrently from today," he said, meaning Md Zaki needs to serve only two years in jail.

Ab Karim also said that the court agrees with the lower court findings that Md Zaki's defence was baseless and a mere denial.

The court granted Md Zaki a stay pending appeal.

On April 12, 2012, Sessions judge Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain sentenced Md Zaki, 54, to a total of 27 years in jail after the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt on all the five charges against the accused.

He instructed the jail sentences to run consecutively.

Ahmad Zamzani also fined Md Zaki a total of RM894,400, in default 112 months' jail.

Md Zaki was accused of receiving furniture worth RM33,600 at his house in Johor Baru on Dec 14, 2007, paid for by a contractor as an inducement to get a letter of intent for a Sime Darby project worth RM24mil.

He was alleged to have obtained a Rolex watch worth RM21,700 for his wife Harison Hamzah on March 10, 2009 as a bribe to approve and speed up progress payment for two projects sub-contracted to the contractor’s company.

He faced two other charges of receiving a RM32,980 watch from the same contractor on March 15, 2009, and another RM60,000 watch between May 13, 2009 and May 15, 2009.

Md Zaki was also accused of seeking a RM33,600 bribe for the payment of a furniture set from the contractor on Nov 28, 2007.