The Appeals Court in Putrajaya today cleared former Immigration deputy director-general Yusof Abu Bakar of 14 counts of corruption involving RM121,500.

Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad chairing a three-member panel ruled that there was no merit in the prosecution’s appeal to quash the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision to acquit and discharge Yusof of the charges.

In unanimously dismissing the prosecution’s appeal, Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy said there were many loopholes in the prosecution’s case.

Justices Linton Albert and Mohtarudin Baki were the other two judges on the panel.

Outside the court, Yusof, 58, who is wheelchair-bound after suffering from a stroke on the eve of Aidilfitri this year, said “Thanks to God”.

Yusof was charged with receiving between RM500 and RM18,500 from a marketing manager and a third party as inducement to approve the extension of social visit passes for Chinese nationals between March 21 and July 7, 2008.

He was alleged to have committed the offences at his office in Putrajaya, at the Federal Hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang and at the Caltex petrol station in Jalan Pudu.

Yusof was sentenced to six years’ jail and fined more than RM600,000 after he was found guilty by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court in December 2010 of the 14 corruption charges.

On Feb 29 this year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed his appeal to quash his conviction and jail term and fine.

Earlier, Yusof’s counsel Mohammed Azmi Mohd Said told the court that although his client was on medical leave until October as a result of his stroke, he wanted the hearing of the prosecution’s appeal to proceed today.

Deputy public prosecutor from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi appeared for the prosecution.

- Bernama