The High Court in Ipoh today upheld the conviction and sentence of eight years' jail and RM55,000 fine imposed by a lower court against former Perak syariah chief prosecuting officer who was found guilty of bribery involving a sum of RM5,000.

Judicial Commissioner Noorin Badaruddin made the ruling after striking out an appeal by Shahrunnazri Abdul Samad, 45, to set aside the conviction and sentence meted out by the Sessions Court in Ipoh two years ago.

In her judgment, she said the Sessions Court judge had not erred in making the decision and that it was based on facts and law.

“The deputy public prosecutor, through the trial, had proven that the payment of RM5,000 was a form of bribery,” she said.

She ordered Shahrunnazri to serve the jail sentence from today.

However, she allowed a stay of the sentence following a request by lawyer Yusri Kamaruddin, representing Shahrunnazri, to appeal the case to the Court of Appeal.

The Sessions Court, on Feb 13, 2012, sentenced Shahrunnazri to eight years’ jail and fined RM55,000 after finding him guilty of four counts of bribery.

He was charged with soliciting and accepting the bribes from a policeman in 2007 as an inducement not to press charges against the latter for an alleged khalwat  (close proximity) case.

Besides Yusri, Shahrunnazrin was also represented by lawyer Feisal Mustapha, while deputy public prosecutor Aida Adhha Abu Bakar appeared for the prosecution.

- Bernama