Ex-Sabah politician fined RM2.75 mil, jailed

KOTA KINABALU: A former Sabah politician was fined RM2.75 million by the Special Corruption Court here yesterday on two counts of corrupt practice.

Former Setia president Suaidin @ Shuhaiddin Langkab @ Langab, 63, was also sentenced to a total of two years and six months imprisonment for committing the offences involving RM550,000 over the processing of land grants, five years ago.

Judge Dean Wayne Daly found Shuhaiddin guilty of the first count of asking RM400,000 cash from one Chew Ai Wah as an inducement purportedly as payment to an officer in the Land and Survey Department for managing the grant issuance process for land lots – PT 80231840-PT80231842 and PT 80231849-PT80231852 in Pitas.

The offence was committed at 9.30pm on Aug 28, 2008 in a room at the Tang Dynasty Hotel, here.

For this offence, the court sentenced him to 18 months jail and fined him RM2 million or one year’s jail.

On the second count, Shuhaiddin was sentenced to one year jail and fined RM750,000 or 10 months jail for receiving RM150,000 cash from Chew as an inducement for the same matter at 9pm on Sept 19, 2008 at Restoran Penyu in Nexus Hotel Karambunai Resort, near here.

The court ordered the jail sentences to run concurrently.

In meting out the sentence, Daly said the offences committed were serious and could present a bad image on the State Land and Survey Department.

The judge allowed Shuhaiddin a stay of execution of the punishments pending an appeal against his conviction and sentence to the High Court.

He was released on RM20,000 bail with RM5,000 deposited in one surety.

He was charged on April 13 last year and claimed trial to each charge under Section 10(a)(aa) of the Anti-Corruption Act which carries jail between 14 days and 20 years and a fine of five times the amount involved or RM10,000  whichever is higher, on conviction.

Shuhaiddin was represented by counsel Zahir Shah while the prosecution was led by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Public Prosecutor Joyce Blasius.

Shuhaiddin was convicted after 21 prosecution and five defence witnesses testified.

Bernama