KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) retiree has been ordered to pay RM150,000 by the Sessions Court after he pleaded guilty to graft involving a RM100,000 payment for a house construction.
Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin also ordered Datuk Zainal Abdul Manaf, 61, to serve six months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
She also advised the accused not to repeat the offence.
According to the charge sheet, Zainal received the payment of RM100,000 for the construction of a house from an individual who had connection to his official function.
Zainal, at the material time, was an assistant chief of staff for materials at RMAF.
The offence was committed at a bank in Wangsa Maju on March 15, 2022.
The charge was framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum two-year imprisonment or fine or both, if convicted.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Aznika Mohd Anas of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) asked the court to mete out a just sentence to serve as a lesson for the accused and the public.
"The accused is no ordinary staff in TUDM but as an assistant chief of staff for materials, he was highly ranked in the organisation.
"Therefore, the prosecution asked for a befitting sentence for the accused," she said.
Lawyer Wafa Shalehah Helmy, who represented the accused, said that her client now relied on his pension to cope with monthly expenses.
She said Zainal also suffered from high blood pressure while his wife was diabetic.
"We ask the court to impose a fine that is not too high as the accused's age restricts him from getting financial help to pay the fine," she said.
Zainal was first charged on Aug 15.
