Prosecution dropped appeal against aquittal of Ku Nan in graft case, report says

The prosecution in the RM2 million graft case involving Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has withdrawn its appeal against a court decision earlier this year to acquit the former minister of receiving bribes from a businessman in 2016, The Edge reports.

The Court of Appeal had on July 16 allowed the application by Tengku Adnan, popularly known as Ku Nan, to set aside the conviction and sentence of 12 months’ jail and RM2 million fine meted out by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

It said in a 2-1 majority decision that the cheque for RM2 million received from businessman Chai Kin Kong was a political contribution to Umno.

The prosecution filed an appeal against the decision on July 19, appealing against it to the Federal Court.

However, The Edge said it had reliably learnt that the prosecution had withdrawn its appeal.

Tengku Adnan was found guilty of receiving the bribe by the High Court on Dec 21 last year.

The judge said then that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Tengku Adnan had been charged in his capacity as a public servant with having received for himself a total of RM2 million from businessman Chai, who is Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd director, via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to the company which was deposited into a CIMB account owned by Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, in which Tengku Adnan had an interest.

Tengku Adnan, who is MP for Putrajaya, was accused of committing the offence at the Pusat Bandar Damansara branch of CIMB Bank on June 14, 2016. He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries an imprisonment of up to two years, a fine or both upon conviction.

Judge Mohamed Zaini, who delivered the verdict, said there was no evidence to show that Tengku Adnan had withdrawn RM2 million from Tadmansori’s account to pay the expenses of the by-elections in Sg Besar and Kuala Kangsar.

“It is undoubtedly apparent that the RM2 million remained in Tadmansori’s account for the accused’s benefit and not to pay for the two by-elections,” Zaini said, adding that Tengku Adnan had used Tadmansori “as a facade for his crime”.

But the Court of Appeal ruled in July that Zaini had erred in his judgment, setting aside the conviction, jail term and fine handed down to the former minister.