点评纳吉暂缓刑罚
【合理怀疑】
吉隆坡高庭在7月28日宣判前首相纳吉在4200万令吉的SRC案七项控罪罪成,并判纳吉入狱合共72年与罚款2亿1000万令吉。不过所有监禁刑期将同时执行,所以最多只需入狱12年。
法官纳兹兰允准被告暂缓监禁与罚款。不过,法官开出条件,要求纳吉额外缴付100万令吉保释金,外加两人担保。此外,纳吉必须每个月的1日与15日,到邻近警局报到。
笔者认为,纳吉不应该获得暂缓执行刑法。
【合理怀疑】
吉隆坡高庭在7月28日宣判前首相纳吉在4200万令吉的SRC案七项控罪罪成,并判纳吉入狱合共72年与罚款2亿1000万令吉。不过所有监禁刑期将同时执行,所以最多只需入狱12年。
法官纳兹兰允准被告暂缓监禁与罚款。不过,法官开出条件,要求纳吉额外缴付100万令吉保释金,外加两人担保。此外,纳吉必须每个月的1日与15日,到邻近警局报到。
笔者认为,纳吉不应该获得暂缓执行刑法。

保释原则
根据《刑事程序法典》的第311条文,除非刑罚是鞭打(其执行必须待上诉时暂缓),上诉不该运作为暂缓执行刑罚。但法庭有权以付款金钱或一些行为的履行或不履行来作为暂缓条件。
另外,根据上诉庭在DATO' SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM v PUBLIC PROSECUTOR [2004] 1 MLJ 497案件的判决,在考虑行使保释待上诉的酌情权时,法庭需以以下法律原则为指导:
一、无罪推定不再是考虑的因素;
二、考虑的因素与定罪前的保释申请有所不同;
三、出庭只是一个很小的考虑;
四、刑期长短和上诉日子之前所费的时间是一个相关因素。但不代表监禁期短的申请人就能自动获保。在适当的情况下,保释可能会被拒绝,即使这意味着将在上诉之前服刑;
五、至关重要的是,申请人必须证明存在特殊情况,以促使法庭得出以下结论:只有获得保释才可以实现正义;
六、如果以提议的上诉理由为依据,则其表面上必须具有非常强的成功前景或非常高的成功前景;
七、大众对司法的信心要求执行判决,因此,被判犯有严重罪行,特别是屡犯的人应被拒绝保释;
八、上诉法庭不应处于尴尬的境地,因为申请人保释期间其情况可能发生巨大的变化,因此在驳回他的上诉,以服刑后,不得不将其定罪。或者,他可能已造成一种情况,使他在上诉被驳回后很难将他送回监狱,从而挫败了正义;
九、若定罪后随时提供保释,将鼓励无实质理据的泛滥上诉。
上诉庭在考虑了以上因素后,判定申请人未能证明存在特殊情况,所以否决了申请人的保释申请。
纳吉应马上服刑
虽然说上诉是宪法保障的权利,但这不代表行使上诉权利就意味着理应获得暂缓执行刑罚。在判决被推翻以前,纳吉都是属于被定罪了的罪犯。
定罪前和定罪后的保释的意义不一样。保释意义在于每个人都享有无罪推定,所以在被定罪以前,理应获得保释,除非被控罪行过于严重或其他特殊原因不得保释。
回到纳吉案件,既然纳吉已被定罪,那么无罪推定已不能成为获得保释理由了。
虽然法庭也安排纳吉必须每个月的1日与15日,到邻近警局报到,但如以上案例所阐述,对于被定罪后的保释来说,出庭已经作为保释的考虑并不大。
换句话说,既然已被定罪,那么原则上来说除非存在特殊情况,罪犯就应该马上服刑。所以在这阶段来说,就算罪犯能够准时到警局报到,但也失去了理应服刑的意义。
更重要的是,大众对司法的信心要求执行判决。一直以来,许多人认为马来西亚司法有着双重标准,对于有身份地位的人都比较宽容,所以不符合“法律面前,人人平等”的原则。
综上所述,笔者认为,纳吉并没有提出任何可以构成特殊情况的论点得以暂缓执行监禁和罚款刑罚。

法律无关乎身份
最后,笔者引述RAJA AZLAN SHAH FJ在PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v DATUK HAJI HARUN BIN HAJI IDRIS (NO 2) [1977] 1 MLJ 15贪腐案件中在对政治人物判刑时所说:
“我相信新闻界对这次听讯的广泛报道已渗透到我们社会的各个层面。对我而言,这次听讯似乎再次确认了法治的生命力。但是对于我们许多人来说,这次听讯也表明我们某些领导人的公信彻底地沦丧。
这为阿克顿勋爵的格言给出了可怕的例证:“权力趋于腐败,绝对权力则绝对腐败”,并将关注的焦点集中在有必要对政治权威做某些公开的限制。
我重复我之前所说的话,即法律无关乎身份 (the law is no respecter of persons)。但是,我还是无法忽略这个事实,即您与我审讯过的任何人都属于不同的类别。在我们成千上万的同胞和妇女眼中,你既是爱国者又是领导者,这是不容忽视的事实。甚至那些在政治理念上与您不同的人也将您视为一个有理想的人。
你本来很有机会达到成功最高点。但是在这条路的中途,你允许贪婪破坏了您。令人无法理解的是,你所处位置的人竟然无法凭自己的良心认识到腐败是什么。这样做不仅使你背叛了自己的政党初衷,关于这点你曾雄辩地说了那么多话;你也违背了所给予的付托,即你也在君主统治者见证下宣誓就职,最重要的是你是统治者法律下的服从者。
你坚持认为,回报实际上是根据长期惯例给予和接受的政治捐款,但被敌对的证人为了自救而致使捐款被视为犯罪。但是证据清楚地表明,你设计了无与伦比的狡猾方案,并犯下了几乎完美的犯罪。但是,罪行虽然无言以对,但有时会大声疾呼。你的方法是你自己的作为,因为即使有再多影响力的巧合也无法解释不利于你的多种情况,法律给您穿上的无罪推定被揭穿了。
政治捐款在欧洲和美国已经是高度组织的专业义务;他们是时代的标志。在我看来,马来西亚正在模仿这种生活方式。不论其道德意义如何,只要不是腐败地行使公职而给予和接受,就不是犯罪……”
(原文为:I believe the very extensive coverage of this hearing in the press has permeated all levels of our society. To me this hearing seems to re-affirm the vitality of the rule of law. But to many of us, this hearing also suggests a frightening decay in the integrity of some of our leaders.
It has given horrible illustrations of Lord Acton's aphorism "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", and has focussed concern on the need of some avowed limitations upon political authority.
I repeat what I had said before — the law is no respecter of persons. Nevertheless it will be impossible to ignore the fact that you are in a different category from any person that I have ever tried. It would be impossible to ignore the fact that, in the eyes of millions of our countrymen and women, you are a patriot and a leader. Even those who differ from you in politics look upon you as a man of high ideals.
You had every chance to reach the greatest height of human achievement. But half-way along the road, you allowed avarice to corrupt you. It is incomprehensible how a man in your position could not in your own conscience, recognise corruption for what it is.In so doing, you have not only betrayed your party cause, for which you have spoken so eloquently, but also the oath of office which you have taken and subscribed before your Sovereign Ruler, and above all the law of which you are its servant.
You insisted that the pay-offs were in fact political contributions given and received in keeping with long-established practices and they had been made to look criminal by a hostile witness, scuttling to save his own skin. But the evidence plainly show that you devised a scheme of unparallel cunning and committed an almost perfect crime. But crime, though it hath no tongue, speaks out at times. Your method is your own doing because even the long arm of coincidence cannot explain the multitude of circumstances against you, and they destroy the presumption of innocence with which the law clothed you.
Political contributions have been a highly-organised professional obligation in Europe and in the States; they are a sign of the times. Malaysia, it seems to me, is emulating that way of life. Whatever may be the moral of it, so long as they are not given and received for the corrupt exercise of official functions, they are not a crime.)
陈祖豪,现任执业律师。
本文内容是作者个人观点,不代表《当今大马》立场。





