Court upholds Rafizi’s 18-month jail term
> Pandan MP’s conviction of disclosing a page of 1MDB audit report stays
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has upheld the 18month jail sentence against Pandan MP Mohd Rafizi Ramli ( pix) for exposing a page of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
However, the PKR vicepresident was acquitted and discharged of possessing the report without approval.
Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah allowed a stay of sentence, pending the filing of a notice of appeal by Rafizi against the decision.
The court maintained the RM20,000 bail on Rafizi.
On Nov 14, 2016, Rafizi was jailed 18 months for unauthorised possession of page 98 of the 1MDB Audit Report, which was obtained in contravention of the Official Secrets Act 1972.
He was accused of committing the offence at the Parliament building lobby at about 3pm on March 24, 2016.
The offence was under Section 8 (1)( c) ( iii) of the Official Secrets Act 1972 (Act 88), which is punishable with a term not less than one year but not exceeding seven years jail.
On the second charge, Rafizi was jailed 18 months for endangering the safety of secrecy by disclosing the content of the page in a press conference at about 3pm on March 28, 2016.
The offence is under Section 8 (1) (c) (iv), punishable with a term not less than one year but not exceeding seven years’ jail.
Outside the court, Rafizi’s lawyer Gobind Singh said he would be filing a notice appeal.
Previously, the sessions court had convicted Rafizi on both OSA charges and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, with the sentences to run concurrently.
“He remains as an MP and the law, as it stands requires us to go through the entire appeal process, before anything could happen in respect to the status as an MP,” said Gobind.
“We will seek an early date for the appeal to be heard as we are confident our client should not be found guilty,” he added.
The Pandan MP risks losing his seat and being ineligible to contest in the next general election if the conviction is upheld as those sentenced to more than a year’s jail or fined more than RM2,000 cannot contest in an election.