Ex-Pahang Umno Youth chief jailed three years

PUTRAJAYA: Former Pahang Umno Youth chief Datuk Mohd Mustafa Mohd Khalid has been jailed three years for cheating a managing director of a company of RM1mil over a scanning system project.

Court of Appeal judge Justice Mohtarudin Baki, heading a panel of three judges, maintained the conviction and three-year jail term imposed by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Feb 19, 2016 on Mohd Mustafa, a businessman.

However, the panel set aside an eight-year jail term and RM300,000 fine or one-year jail imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on March 23, 2017.

“Our decision is unanimous, we allow a part of this appeal. We are of the opinion that the appeal on the conviction has no merit. The appeal on the conviction is rejected and the conviction is maintained.

“The appeal against the sentence is permitted. The sentence by the High Court judge is set aside and the Sessions judge's sentence is brought back,” said Justice Mohtarudin who sat with Justices Rhodzariah Bujang and Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.

The panel made the decision after hearing the arguments of counsel Datuk Hariharan Tara Singh representing Mohd Mustafa, and DPP Hamdan Hamzah.

Mohd Mustafa, 56, appealed against the High Court's decision to raise the three-year sentence imposed by the Sessions Court to eight years after dismissing his appeal. He had to serve the sentence yesterday.

On Feb 19, 2016, Mohd Mustafa was found guilty of deceiving NM Resource Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Kamaludin Janis.

He duped him into believing that a letter from the Finance Ministry dated July 6, 2009 titled “The Proposal To Supply A Scanning System For One Hundred Percent of Imported Goods For the Royal Malaysian Customs Via Rentals” given by the accused to the victim was genuine. — Bernama