Ex-Ampang Jaya councillor jailed 8 years for corruption

March 3, 2023

Ex-Ampang Jaya councillor jailed 8 years for corruption

PUTRAJAYA: A former Ampang Jaya municipal councillor began his eight-year jail term today after the Court of Appeal dismissed his final appeal against conviction and sentence for 10 counts of corruption involving RM193,000.

The trial judge had made the correct findings on all charges levelled at Abd Ghani Ismail, ruled the Court of Appeal.

A three-member Court of Appeal bench chaired by Justice Hanipah Farikullah said the sessions court judge made the correct findings on all the charges levelled at Abd Ghani Ismail, 56, a former Pandan Umno division chief.

The appeals court also upheld a total fine of RM977,560 imposed on Ghani, which he had previously settled in three instalments.

“There is no miscarriage of justice for appellate intervention,” said Hanipah, who sat with Justices M Nantha Balan and Ahmad Nasfy Yasin.

Ghani had claimed trial to the charges on May 26, 2009.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

On Dec 28, 2012, sessions court judge Rozilah Salleh found him guilty of all charges.

She sentenced him to five years’ jail and a fine of RM120,945 on the first count, which involved soliciting a RM24,189 bribe from a contractor, Abdul Rahman Yaacob, who has since died.

The bribe was intended as an inducement to help Rahman secure tenders from MPAJ for the provision of solid waste collection services at Taman Lembah Maju and Taman Kencana, and for cleaning work at Pandan Cahaya.

The offence was committed at Restoran Islah Tomyam at Desa Pandan on Aug 4, 2006.

On the second and third counts of accepting bribes totalling RM24,189, also from Rahman, Ghani was sentenced to three years’ jail each and fined a total of RM120,945.

For the fourth to the ninth charges, which saw him accept bribes totalling RM725,670 from Rahman, Ghani was sentenced to five years’ jail on each charge and fined an amount equivalent to the sum he received corruptly.

Ghani was found to have committed the offences in the second to ninth charges in front of an office block in Desa Pandan between Oct 20, 2006 and March 31, 2007.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

Rozilah ordered Ghani to serve the jail sentences for the first nine charges concurrently, meaning that he would spend five years in jail.

In respect of the 10th charge, Ghani was found guilty of obtaining a bribe by way of the appointment of Syarikat Lembah Rimbun, a firm in which he has indirect interest, as the subcontractor to Syarikat Dwisakti Mewah Sdn Bhd on May 1, 2006.

The appointment was his reward for helping Syarikat Dwisakti Mewah obtain a tender from MPAJ to manage solid waste in the Bandar Pandan Indah area.

He was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM10,000 for the offence.

Rozilah ordered the jail term for the 10th count to run concurrently with the other nine counts, meaning he will have to serve a total sentence of eight years.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

All the charges were made out under Section 11(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997, which provides for a maximum jail term of up to 20 years and a fine not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Zamri Ibrahim represented Ghani, while deputy public prosecutors Samihah Rhazali and Norzilati Izahani Zainal appeared for the prosecution in today’s appeal.

Ghani had been freed on bail of RM60,000.