Chief deputy fire chief sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 172,000 RM

KUALA LUMPUR: A local court today sentenced a deputy fire chief to three years in prison and a fine of RM172,000 after finding him guilty of three counts of abuse of power for proposing utility work worth RM32,540 to his family's businesses.

Judge Dazuki Ali imposed the sentence on 41-year-old Mohd Roslan Zakaria after concluding at the end of the defence that the prosecution had succeeded in proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Dazuki sentenced Mohd Roslan to two years' imprisonment and a fine of RM42,000 for the first charge, two years' imprisonment and a fine of RM40,000 for the second charge, and three years' imprisonment and a fine of RM90,000 for the third charge. The court also ordered that the accused must serve an additional two years in prison if he fails to pay the fines.

He also ordered that the prison sentences be served concurrently from today, but granted a stay of execution pending an appeal to the Supreme Court, while not allowing suspension of the fines.

According to the prosecution, Mohd Roslan was accused of abusing his position as a public servant by submitting a bid from his mother-in-law's company, Pak Su Global Enterprise, for supply work of 60 antenna units and 30 charger spare parts worth RM8,100.

The father of three was also charged with the same offence for submitting two tenders from his brother-in-law's company, Muazzam Global Enterprise: one for the supply of 31 units of Compas Orienting (SUNTO) worth RM7,440 and another for 10 units of life jackets and 20 units of wetsuits worth RM17,000.

He was charged with committing the offences in July and November 2016 at the Eastern Region Malaysian Fire and Rescue Academy in Marang. The charge is based on Section 23(1) of the MACC Act and is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000 (whichever is higher).

Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh and MACC Public Prosecutor Nur Raihan Mohd Yusof appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by his lawyer G. Ravishankar.

Previously, Farah Yasmin had pushed for a fair verdict that would serve as a lesson not only to the defendants but also to the public and take the public interest into account.

Meanwhile, Ravishankar filed an appeal seeking appropriate punishment for his client as it was his first offence and he was not financially able to do so after the suspension.

He also requested a stay of execution of the prison sentence and fine pending an appeal to the Supreme Court.