Yusof Abu Bakar, the former deputy director (1) of the Immigration Department, was sentenced to a total of 56 years in jail after being found to have received RM121,500 in bribes for approving the visit passes of Chinese nationals two years ago.

The Sessions Court also fined him RM620,000.

Judge Abu Bakar Katar ordered the jail sentences for the 14 counts of bribery to run concurrently.

As such Yusof, 56, will serve out six years' imprisonment from last Thursday when the verdict was delivered.

The judge also allowed an application by Yusof's counsel Mohammed Azmi Mohd Said for a stay of execution pending appeal to the High Court.

Last Thursday, Abu Bakar said the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case and found Yusof guilty, and set sentencing for today.

Yusof was alleged to have received bribes of between RM500 and RM18,500 for each transaction from a sales manager between March 21 and June 25, 2008.

Yusof was accused of having committed the offences at his office in the Control Division, Level 7, Malaysian Immigration Department, Block 2G4, Precinct 2, Putrajaya, at the Federal Hotel, Jalan Bukit Bintang, and at the Caltex Petrol Station in Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.  

All the charges were under Section 11(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 and punishable under Section 16 of the same Act.

The penalty is a prison term of not less than 14 days and not more than 20 years, and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Abu Bakar imposed the lowest jail term at two years and the highest at six years, and set the lowest fine at RM10,000 and the highest at RM92,000 for the 14 charges.

'Lodge notice of appeal'

Earlier, DPP Mohd Sophian Zakaria of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission objected to the application for a stay of execution, saying the defence had failed to show any special circumstances in the oral application.

Counsel Mohammed Azmi said the court had the authority to allow the application.

The judge allowed the application and ordered that a notice of appeal be submitted tomorrow morning, failing which the court would withdraw the approval for the stay of execution.  

On Oct 15, another Sessions Court had acquitted and discharged former Immigration director-general Wahid Md Don on a charge of having received bribes totalling RM60,000 as an inducement to expedite the approval of visas for Bangladeshi workers.

Wahid, 57, was accused of having received the bribes from a businessman on July 10, 2008 as an inducement to expedite the approval of 4,337 visas for Bangladesh workers coming to work in the country.

The appeal against the acquittal and discharge is pending in the High Court here.

- Bernama