KUALA LUMPUR – A former senior private secretary to an ex-minister, Mohd Saifullah Mohd Minggu @ Mohd Hisham, has been sentenced to six years in prison and fined RM8.8 million over for accepting bribes seven years ago.
If he fails to pay the fine, Mohd Saifullah, who was the aide to former Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, will face an additional seven years behind bars for accepting bribes seven years ago, local media reported.
The ruling was made by Sessions Court Judge Suzana Hussin, who found that the defence failed to rebut the presumption under Section 50(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, on a balance of probabilities.
Throughout the proceedings, the 34-year-old Mohd Saifullah, dressed in a blue suit and seated in the defendant's dock, was seen crying uncontrollably as the sentence was delivered.
In addition to the prison sentence, Suzana ordered Mohd Saifullah, who previously served as senior private secretary to Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, to serve seven years in prison if he fails to pay the fine.
“The court has found you guilty of all charges. After considering the mitigation to reduce your sentence and hearing the prosecution’s arguments to increase the penalty, I hope this punishment will serve as a lesson and deter you from repeating such offences in the future,” Suzana said.
“You are still young, and I hope you will reflect on this and change for the better.”
Mohd Saifullah was found guilty of accepting RM1.77 million in bribes from businessman Ronald Seto Kong Seng, through intermediary Roslan Lahada, between December 2018 and March 2019.
The offence was committed while Mohamaddin held the ministerial post under the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The bribe was an inducement to secure tenders for Tourism Malaysia and the Visit Malaysia 2020 advertising and digital promotion campaigns through direct negotiations with Plan B Digital Sdn Bhd.
The offences took place at various locations, including Red Box Karaoke and Coffee Bean at Pavilion Shopping Mall, the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), the office of the senior private secretary to the minister at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as well as at Vipod Residences and Petronas Dengkil, between 11am and 11.30 pm from December 21, 2018, to March 1, 2019. - November 20, 205
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