Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has been sentenced to 12 months’ jail and RM2 million fine in his RM2 million corruption case.
The High Court judge in Kuala Lumpur, Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, delivered the verdict as the accused looked on from the dock during open-court proceedings this morning.
However, the judge allowed the defence’s bid to stay the execution of the sentence pending appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Earlier today, the court had found the former federal territories minister guilty of the graft charge.
The court then went into short recess to allow the defence to prepare mitigation during sentencing.
Today the case was fixed for decision at the end of the defence presentation.
On Dec 7, another bench of the High Court in Kuala Lumpur granted Tengku Adnan a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in a separate RM1 million corruption case.
According to the charge relevant to today’s verdict, Tengku Adnan, in his capacity as a public servant, namely as then federal territories minister, accepted for himself RM2 million from Chai Kin Kong, who is also director of Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd, via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to Aset Kayamas.
The cheque was later deposited into the CIMB Bank account of Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, in which the accused had an alleged interest when it was purported that Aset Kayamas had a connection with his official duties.
Just this weekend Malaysians were infuriated that this old shyster, having managed to get charges dropped was exploiting his continuing position to entertain no less than 10,000 “drive in guests” at a family wedding celebration at Putrajaya.
What unexplained wealth and what cheek?
Clearly this didn’t play either way into the judgement today on some of ‘Ku Nan’s’ other charges, which produced a guilty verdict in no uncertain terms. Malaysians can take heart in the remaining levels of independence amongst at least some of their judges and to see justice denied finally turn to justice supplied.
On the downside, this politician will appeal his lock-up verdict. A well established pattern and recent experience suggest that he will then bail out pending that appeal.
After all, like several other guilty political colleagues, his vote is vital to the continuing survival of the present government. The bailed out Ku Nan will definitely be back in Parliament voting dutifully for PN on every count.
To tot it up, there is the appeal court, then the supreme federal court and of course next a royal pardon to still grind through. We know this Ku Nan has plenty of unexplained funds to pay for the process.
Though rightly condemned to jail (which is from where other normal countries would insist he stage this series of appeals) Ku Nan could well be treating his friends to more jolly weddings at vast expense from Putrajaya over the remaining period of the PN government.
He is plainly, like his kleptocrat pals, banking on the system which is designed to get rich political plunderers off the hook … eventually, after appearances have been satisfied?