PUTRAJAYA: The hearing of the appeals by former Rural and Regional Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his son against their conviction and jail sentences for bribery charges scheduled on Monday (May 15) has been postponed.
The Court of Appeal's three-member bench comprising Justices Hanipah Farikullah, Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the defence lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh's application to postpone the hearing after he informed the court that his clients were unwell and could not attend court.
Rajpal said a letter had been submitted to the court on Sunday (May 14) that Mohd Arif, who had chest pain on Saturday, is suffering from coronary artery disease and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital while his son Ahmad Zukhari tested positive for Covid-19.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar did not object to the application.
The court then fixed Aug 21 for the hearing of the appeals.
On Nov 14, 2018, the Sessions Court found Mohd Arif, 66, guilty of abetting his son Ahmad Zukhari to accept SG$200,000 (RM627,833) from Syarikat Wazlina Sdn Bhd director Mohd Safian Mohd Salleh.
He was charged with accepting the money as gratification for him and his son as an inducement for a hybrid solar system project in four remote islands off Sandakan, Sabah, worth RM57.5mil, which was awarded to Syarikat Eramaz (M) Sdn Bhd, an associate company of Syarikat Wazlina.
The court sentenced him to three years jail and a fine of RM3mil, in default three years imprisonment.
Ahmad Zukhari, 41, a businessman, was sentenced to five years jail and fined RM9.6mil, in default 10 years jail after the court found him guilty of four counts of soliciting and accepting bribes from several projects involving the ministry in 2016.
They lost their appeals which were dismissed by the High Court on March 23, 2021, prompting them to appeal to the Court of Appeal. - Bernama
