AML/CFT: immigration director jailed for corruption
The former deputy-director general of Malaysia's immigration department has been jailed for a total of 56 years and fined MYR620,000 following his conviction on dozens of charges of accepting bribes.
The case against YUSOF Abu Bakar has had more twists and turns than a twisty turny thing as the story of his rampant corruption unfolded.
At the core of the case was a payment of MYR121,500 made by a "businessman" who wanted to bring a number of Chinese nationals into Malaysia. Evidence showed that he received payments at his office in the new administrative capital, Putrajaya, at a hotel and a petrol station in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, in a district where Chinese prostitutes had become common when the offences were committed in early 2008.
Convicting Yusof of 14 offences, Judge ABU Bakar Katar ordered the penalties, the longest of which was six years, to run concurrently.
YUSOF is appealing sentence and conviction and the Judge, despite the protestations of the prosecuting agency, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, allowed a stay pending an application to the High Court.
The case had proved a milestone for MACC which has been subjected to criticism that it has failed in its objectives of securing convictions; MACC has always explained that corruption cases are complex and take a long time to bring to trial.
That it has secured a conviction against such a high-ranking officer should help to allay some of those criticisms.
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