Umno’s Lokman jailed for contempt of court

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has sentenced former Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam to a month’s jail for contempt of court after finding him guilty of intimidating a prosecution witness in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah found Lokman’s action constituted contempt of court and convicted him accordingly.

The court ordered the jail term to run from yesterday.

The contempt of court proceedings was brought on Lokman by then attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in 2019 where he was alleged to have intimidated a key witness in the 1MDB case –Najib’s former special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin.

Lokman’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammed Shafee Abdullah asked for a stay of execution on the sentence pending appeal to the Court of Appeal which was filed yesterday.

DPP Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam objected to the stay of execution on grounds that the case had been fully litigated. “The presumption of innocence ceases to exist as he has been convicted.”

The prosecution, however, proposed a bond of at least RM5,000 if the court allowed a stay.

Justice Sequerah allowed a stay of execution on the sentence pending an appeal and ordered Lokman to pay a bond of RM3,000 in one surety.

During mitigation, Muhammad Shafee sought for Lokman not to be given a custodial sentence while ad hoc prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram pushed for prison time, saying that the contemnor showed no remorse over his action.

On Oct 22, 2019, Justice Sequerah granted leave for the AG to initiate committal proceedings against Lokman for contempt of court acts perpetrated on two occasions on Sept 25 of the same year.

In the application, the AG sought an order for Lokman to be committed to prison or be fined for his actions.

The AG said that on Sept 25, Lokman in a video interview uttered words constituting an expressed or implied threat against Amhari for having given evidence against the accused in the criminal trial against the former prime minister at the High Court.

He said that on the same day, Lokman lodged a police report against Amhari in respect of the evidence given by him at Najib’s ongoing criminal trial.

The object or purpose of the respondent’s said actions was to harass and intimidate Amhari, other witnesses and any potential witnesses who may come forward to give evidence against the accused in the trial, said the AG.

On Jan 14 last year, the High Court dismissed Lokman’s application to set aside the leave to initiate committal proceedings against him which was obtained by Thomas on Oct 22, 2019.

Lokman appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal but it was dismissed on May 13 last year and, five days later, he filed for leave to appeal at the Federal Court and it was dismissed by the apex court in a unanimous decision on Jan 14 this year.