Ex-syariah prosecutor loses appeal

IPOH: The High Court today upheld the conviction and sentence of eight years' jail and RM55,000 fine imposed by a lower court against a former Perak syariah chief prosecuting officer who was found guilty of bribery, amounting to RM5,000.
Judicial Commissioner Noorin Badaruddin made the ruling after striking out an appeal by Shahrunnazri Abdul Samad, 45, to set aside the conviction and sentence by the sessions court here two years ago.
In her judgment, she said the sessions court judge had not erred in making the decision and that it was based on facts and law.
"The deputy public prosecutor, through the trial, had proven that the payment of RM5,000 was a form of bribery," she said.
She ordered Shahrunnazri to serve the jail sentence from today.
However, she allowed a stay of the sentence following a request by lawyer Yusri Kamaruddin, representing Shahrunnazri, to appeal the case at the Court of Appeal.
The sessions court, on Feb 13, 2012, had found Shahrunnazri guilty of four counts of bribery.
He was charged with soliciting and accepting the bribes from a policeman in 2007 as an inducement not to press charges against the latter for an alleged khalwat (close proximity) case.
Besides Yusri, Shahrunnazri was also represented by lawyer Feisal Mustapha, while DPP Aida Adhha Abu Bakar appeared for the prosecution. – Bernama