Former special aide of ex-Cabinet minister jailed, fined for graft

SHAH ALAM (Bernama): A former special officer to an ex-Cabinet minister was sentenced to two years' jail and fined RM400,000, in default a year's jail, by the Sessions Court here for corruption involving RM80,000.
 
Judge Rozilah Salleh handed down the sentence on Zailan Jauhari, 48, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts against the prosecution's case.
 
The submission by the defence was found to be dishonest, totally unacceptable and merely a denial, she said on Thursday (Dec 27).
 
Zailan, who was first charged in the court on February 2014,  was alleged to have accepted gratification, in the form of RM20,000 and a cheque of RM60,000 for helping two companies to obtain tenders for school cleaning works in the Kuala Selangor district.
 
He was charged with committing the offence at a restaurant in Kuala Selangor between 7.30pm and 8pm on Jan 8, 2014.
 
The charge was made under Section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24 of the same law, which provides an imprisonment for up to 20 years and fine not less than five times the amount of gratification involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
 
However, Rozilah allowed a stay of the sentence following an application by lawyer Md Yunos Shariff , representing Zailan, to appeal the case at the High Court, but on the condition that Zailan paid the fine, as well as filed the appeal on Thursday.
 
She also increased Zailan's bail from RM30,000 to RM50,000 in one surety.
 
In mitigation, Mohd  Yunos said his client, who has diabetes and high blood pressure, only has a part-time job, and has a wife and three children, aged six to 11 to support.
 
He said Zailan also had no previous record and was remorse.
 
Deputy public prosecutor from MACC, Mohammed Heikal Ismail, prosecuted. - Bernama