Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and former Public Bank clerk Johari Mohamad have each been sentenced to 30 months' jail after being found guilty of leaking banking data from the accounts of National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC).

Sessions Court judge Zamri Bakar said the prosecution has, beyond reasonable doubt, proven their violation of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia).

"On a maximum analysis, the court found that the defence had failed to raise doubt and hence the prosecution has proven the case beyond reasonable doubt," the judge ruled.

Judge Zamri allowed a stay pending appeal. 

Rafizi, 40, was represented by Ahmad Nizam Hamid while Latheefa Koya appeared for Johari.

Deputy public prosecutors Lailawati Ali and Steve Chin appeared for the prosecution.

On Oct 25 last year, Rafizi and Johari were ordered by judge Zamri to enter their defence.

The two were charged in 2012, under Section 97 of Bafia, for the disclosure of four accounts linked to NFC and its chairperson Mohd Salleh Ismail, who is the husband of Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Although the Act was repealed in 2013, the charges against the PKR vice-president and Johari under Bafia still stand. 

A total of 19 witnesses testified for the prosecution, while Rafizi and Johari (photo) were the only witnesses when defence was called.

RM500k fine, six months' jail proposed

In mitigation, Nizam said Rafizi was PKR's strategy director when the offence was committed in 2012 and being a patriotic Malaysian, he wanted to expose the issue as it involved public funds.

As a result of the exposure, the lawyer argued, Salleh was charged at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur. However, the prosecution later withdrew the charge.

Nizam added that Salleh also sued Rafizi who was ordered by the High Court to pay RM300,000 in damages.

"Rafizi is merely exposing what was wrong regarding public funds," he said, adding that Rafizi was married and has a child.

Nizam proposed that the court impose the minimum sentence or a fine.

Meanwhile, Latheefa told the court that Johari was the sole breadwinner for his family and he was married with three children - the eldest in university and the youngest in primary school.

"Based on the court proceeding, it can be noted that my client did not benefit from exposing the issue. He is also a first offender," she said.

DPP Lailawati pleaded to the court to impose a deterrent sentence as the case involved the exposure of financial banking accounts.

She said there was an ulterior motive when Rafizi used the information to hold four press conferences.

Lailawati added that a deterrent sentence was warranted to allay investor fears, and Rafizi as a lawmaker should have respected the law.

She proposed a fine of RM500,000 and six months' jail.

After hearing the mitigation, Zamri sentenced Rafizi and Johari to 30 months' jail and allowed a stay of execution of the jail sentence.

Nizam said he will file the notice of appeal today.

In 2016, Rafizi was found guilty of breaching the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for exposing the 1MDB audit report and sentenced to 18 months in jail.