PH leaders shocked by stiff jail sentence for Rafizi
(FMT) – Several Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders today voiced shock over a Sessions Court’s decision to sentence PKR Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli to 30 months jail for exposing the bank accounts of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) six years ago.
DAP central executive committee (CEC) member Ronnie Liu, who was present in court to support Rafizi, said he was taken aback by the sentence.
“I hope he can succeed in his appeal because he was merely defending public funds from being abused.
“He did not get anything from the expose,” he said, adding that DAP will continue to support what Rafizi is doing.
PKR vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar called it “unacceptable” to punish a whistleblower.
“Most of his (Rafizi) work is on trying to save public funds from being misused.
“With this decision, PH will campaign for whistleblowers’ rights in voicing out on scandals,” she said.
Amanah strategy director Dzulkefly Ahmad said the jail sentence sent a negative message to other whistleblowers, that they will be punished for fighting against wrongdoings and corruption.
“This marks another ‘dark day’ in our legal system.
PKR, DAP and Amanah are component parties of PH which also includes PPBM.
Earlier today, the Sessions Court jailed Rafizi and former bank clerk Johari Mohamad for 30 months for revealing the bank accounts relating to the NFC’s subsidiary companies and NFC executive chairman Mohamad Salleh Ismail.
They were found guilty under the now defunct Banking and Financial Institution Act, or Bafia.
However, the court granted the duo a stay of execution pending their appeals.
Rafizi also faces 18 months imprisonment in another case under the Official Secrets Act for leaking the classified 1MDB audit report last year.
His convictions and jail sentences, unless overturned in his appeals, will disqualify him from contesting in the coming elections.
Article 48 of the Federal Constitution disqualifies a person from being an MP for five years should the elected representative be convicted and sentenced to more than one year in jail, or fined more than RM2,000.
