Jail for conman

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail was today sentenced by the Sessions Court to a total 73-and-a-half years jail and ordered to be given four strokes of the rotan, for cheating National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) former director Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail.
However, Shamsubahrin, 49, who was found guilty on five counts of cheating under the Penal Code and 17 charges under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act will only be whipped and serve eight years imprisonment – the longest jail term meted out for a charge – as judge Rozilah Salleh ordered the sentences to run concurrently from today.
He had drawn 37 years jail and four strokes of the rotan for the five counts of cheating and 36 years and six months for the 17 counts of money laundering.
In handing down her decision, Rozilah said the defence failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case on the charges of:
» misleading Mohamad Salleh into believing that he was acting on the request of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to offer consultancy services and induced Salleh to pay RM2.75 million between Nov 20 and Dec 5, 2011;
» inducing Salleh to hand over four cheques totalling RM1.755 million as payment for his services and purported bribes for Commercial Crime Investigation Department police officers to close a case involving NFCorp that was being investigated.
Rozilah said it was clear to the court that Shamsubahrin had used Mahathir's name as testified by witnesses in the case, whereas the defence had failed to call the former premier to testify.
DPP Datuk Abdul Razak Musa told the court that of the RM1.755 million, RM405,394 was used by Shamsubahrin to purchase three cars within 18 days while RM737,710.06 was seized from several bank accounts.
However, RM611,895.94 was untraceable.
Rozilah, who ordered as penalty the missing RM611, 895.94, allowed an application by defence lawyer Hasnal Rezua Merican for the money to be paid within three months, failing which Shamsubahrin would face an addition four years jail.
The judge also allowed a stay of execution of the sentences, pending appeal by the defence, but ordered that Shamsubahrin's bail be increased by RM50,000 from RM300,000, payable by today.