KUALA LUMPUR: Two key prosecution witnesses in the corruption case involving a former political secretary to Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu were each fined RM15,000 by the Sessions Court here for giving contradictory statements when testifying during the trial of the case.
Judge Azura Alwi meted out the fine on Zainudin Abdul Majid, 53, and Ahmad Hisham Mohd Tajuddin, 54, after they changed their plea to guilty.
Both paid the fine.
Zainudin was charged with two counts of giving statements that were inconsistent with the statements he gave to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior assistant superintendent Shamsudin Md Noh on Nov 4, 2022, during the corruption trial of Mohd Azhar Che Mat Dali.
He was charged with committing the offence when testifying in the corruption case before the Criminal Sessions Court Judge 8, Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, on April 7, 2023.
Ahmad Hisham was charged with committing a similar offence when testifying during a similar trial on May 9 last year 2023, and his testimony was inconsistent with the statement he gave to the MACC at the MACC Headquarters in Putrajaya on Nov 2, 2022.
The charges against both men were framed under Section 27(2) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides a fine of up to RM100,000 or a maximum of 10 years in prison or both if convicted.
During mitigation, lawyer Wan Shahrizal Wan Ladin, representing both accused, said his clients have a family to support.
"Zainudin, who is currently working as a caretaker at a gas station and earning RM2,500 a month, supports two children and a sick mother, while Hisham, who is a company director, is asking for a low fine because part of his company's fund has been forfeited to the MACC and also supports three children and a sick mother," said the lawyer.
Deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Asraf Mohamed Tahir and Farah Yasmin Salleh prosecuted.
On Jan 12, the Sessions Court acquitted and discharged Mohd Azhar, 53, of seven charges of accepting and soliciting bribes amounting to RM6.48 million from a contractor to help secure a government. – Bernama
