KOTA KINABALU, May 19 — The Sessions Court has sentenced the former director of the Sabah Water Department to eight years in prison and fined him RM284.3 million after finding him guilty of 12 money laundering charges involving more than RM45 million committed a decade ago.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat imposed an eight-year jail term for each charge against Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 63, but ordered all sentences to run concurrently from today.
The accused faces an additional 78 months in prison if he fails to pay the fine: 12 months for the first charge, and six months each for the remaining 11 charges.
Earlier, Tahir was found guilty of 11 charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities (AMLA) Act 2001, and one charge under Section 4(1)(a) of the same Act.
The offences were committed in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur between October 4 and November 8, 2016.
His wife Fauziah Piut, 61, and the department's former deputy director Lim Lam Beng, 72, were acquitted and discharged of their respective charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the AMLA Act.
Meanwhile, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat urged the court to impose a heavy sentence and a commensurate fine on the accused, noting that the offences involved public funds meant to provide amenities to the people.
"This case falls into the 'rare of the rarest' category, given that it involves the leakage of millions in public funds. The accused's money laundering was carried out systematically, making it difficult to detect.
"This embezzled money belongs to the people and should have been used for the water supply, which is a basic necessity. Over the past 10 to 20 years, the media has reported that the people of Sabah have been facing difficulties with the water supply, especially in rural areas," he said.
Mahadi added that if the funds had not been embezzled, the state's water supply problems might have been resolved or at least reduced.
Meanwhile, Tahir’s lawyer Datuk Ansari Abdullah said his client had already endured substantial hardship, including being remanded for six months before securing a RM500,000 bail.
“The accused is currently suffering from serious health issues, including osteoarthritis, which severely limits his mobility and daily life,” he said. Ansari also asked for a stay of execution for all the sentences.
He emphasised that given the accused’s deteriorating physical condition, age, and the long-drawn public humiliation he has faced, he will no longer be able to secure any form of employment.
Ansari also noted that his client will lose his pension and other gratuities.
Judge Abu Bakar then granted the defence's application to stay the execution of the sentences, while maintaining the existing bail conditions of RM500,000 with a land grant as security, pending the appeal to the High Court.
