Sabah civil servant acquitted of 14 bribery charges
Judge Datuk Celestina Stuel Galid set aside both the conviction and sentence of Awang Saifudin Jumat, discharging and acquitting him.
Awang, 48, had appealed against the decision of the lower court which found him guilty of bribery.
Counsel Zahir Shah said the judge found the lower court failed to weigh the cross-examination of the prosecution's main witness.
The witness had testified that the funds deposited into Awang's account were not linked to contracts awarded to her company, undermining the core of the charges.
On May 3, 2024, Awang was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment and fined RM255,000 by the Special Corruption Court here after he was found guilty for 14 counts of receiving bribes totalling RM50,500.
The court imposed one year imprisonment and a fine of between RM10,000 and RM50,000 for each charge.
The sentences were ordered to be run concurrently starting from the date of conviction, but Awang's stay of application pending appeal to the High Court was granted.
The charges stated that Awang, as an executive officer (Grade 41) at the Putatan District Council, had accepted RM50,500 from a woman as an inducement to grant her the repair, supply and service work contract for the council from 2016 to 2018.
The said money was deposited into Awang's bank account between Nov 15, 2017, and Feb 26, 2018, at a Maybank branch in Putatan.
The offences fall under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same act that provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine five times the bribe amount, upon conviction.
Eighteen prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses were called during the trial which started in June 2023.
Counsel Zahir Shah represented the appelant while Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Nurul Izzati Sapifee for the respondent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
35 minutes ago
- The Star
Debt likely a motive in abduction, say police
PETALING JAYA: A suspected gang member was arrested in SS19, Subang Jaya, on Tuesday, just hours after he abducted a man in Puchong. Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Wan Azlan Wan Mamat ( pic ) said the victim, who was with the 32-year-old suspect, was rescued during the police operation at 10pm. He said the victim was found to have suffered minor injuries from the incident. ACP Wan Azlan said the suspect, who has a criminal record and a tattoo of an outlawed secret society, was remanded for investigation for four days. 'Preliminary investigation showed that the motive of abduction is related to debts,' he told reporters. Police are on the lookout for three accomplices of the suspect who remain at large. The case is being investigated for abduction and causing hurt. A video of the abduction was circulated on social media on Tuesday, which shows four men pulling off the abduction with a small bonded lorry by a road shoulder in Jalan Persiaran Puchong at about 6.30pm. The victim, who was bundled onto the lorry, attempted to break free but is seen being assaulted repeatedly in the brief video clip. ACP Wan Azlan urged those with information to contact Insp Dinesh Ganasan at 011-3309 4457 or the Subang Jaya police at 03-7862 7100. The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, which carries a jail term of up to one year or a fine of up to RM2,000.
The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
Search for Zayn Rayyan was not near the garden area, court told
PETALING JAYA: The mother of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin admitted that she did not search the garden area near her apartment in Block R, Idaman Apartment, Damansara Damai, when her son with autism went missing on Dec 5, 2023. Instead, Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 30, said she searched around the complex and nearby premises. 'I searched every floor in Block R, then continued to Block S and Block A. 'All the apartment blocks have four levels. I searched alone at first while staying in contact with my husband (Zaim Ikhwan Zahari), who was then on his way home from work. 'He told me he was almost at Idaman Apartment and asked me to wait in front of Block E. 'When he arrived, we continued the search together,' she said during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin on the third day of her defence trial in the Sessions Court here yesterday, Bernama reported. Ismanira said both of them also looked for their son at several places within a 500m radius from their home, including a petrol station, fast food outlets, her workplace, his school, Indah Apartment, Harmoni Apartment and Prima Damansara. She agreed with the prosecution's suggestion that all the locations she searched were further from the garden next to Block R. The first defence witness, however, disagreed with the prosecution's suggestion that she had encountered several people while searching the apartment blocks. 'Perhaps a few, but not many. It was during working hours, so the area was quiet except for the shop section. 'I only met people when I stopped at Block A where there were stalls. 'My husband and I left our contact numbers at each shop we visited,' she said. When questioned by defence lawyer Haresh Mahadevan about her decision to search areas 500m away instead of the nearby garden, Ismanira said: 'I know my son. He is on the autism spectrum and he only goes to places he is familiar with. 'I never brought him to the garden or to the location where his body was found. 'Unless something unusual had happened or someone took him there, he wouldn't have gone there on his own.' On Monday, Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case and ordered Ismanira to enter her defence. Her husband, Zaim Ikhwan, 30, was discharged and acquitted of the same charge. The couple had been accused of neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause him physical harm between noon on Dec 5 and 9.55pm on Dec 6, 2023, in the vicinity of Block R of Idaman Apartment and the nearby river. They were charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both.
Daily Express
42 minutes ago
- Daily Express
RM200,000 bribes: Five remanded in Sandakan
Published on: Thursday, July 24, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 24, 2025 Text Size: All five suspects, three men and two women aged between 30s and 50s, were arrested at the MACC Sabah office around 7pm on Tuesday when they came in to give their statements. SANDAKAN: Five individuals, including an engineer, an assistant engineer and local council staff, have been remanded for seven days to assist in a corruption investigation involving about RM200,000 in bribes from contractors since 2022. The remand order, effective until July 29, was issued by Magistrate Yong Ching Hong following a request by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at the Sandakan Magistrate's Court Wednesday morning. According to a source, the suspects are believed to have received bribes through bank transfers to their personal accounts. The payments were allegedly made by contractors in exchange for assistance in securing quotations and tenders for council projects between 2022 and 2025. All five suspects, three men and two women aged between 30s and 50s, were arrested at the MACC Sabah office around 7pm on Tuesday when they came in to give their statements. Sabah MACC Director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
