THE Shah Alam High Court has allowed PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli’s appeal to set aside his conviction for violating the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia).

Also acquitted was former Public Bank clerk Johari Mohamad.

High court judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa acquitted and discharged both from their 30-month jail sentence.

On February 7, 2018, the Shah Alam Sessions Court found Rafizi guilty of disclosing documents, comprising balance summaries of bank accounts belonging to National Feedlot Corp, National Meat & Livestock Sdn Bhd, Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd and Dr Mohamed Salleh Ismail, to media consultant Yusof Abdul Alim and The Star reporter Erle Martin Carvalho.

The offence was committed at the PKR headquarters in Merchant Square, Petaling Jaya, on March 7, 2012.

Johari was charged with conspiring with Rafizi to commit the offence on the same date and at the same address.

Delivering his decision this morning, Yazid said he allowed Rafizi’s application as the prosecution had failed to produce original documents as evidence in the trial, which is a requirement under Section 61 of the Evidence Act.

The former Pandan MP told reporters at the court today that he was not interested to return to active politics at the moment.

“I am not interested to climb in politics as I was before. I am also not interested in any government post.

“Many do not understand that politics takes from you time and energy from (being spent) with your family,” media reports quoted him saying.

“For the next three or four years, I want to be an ordinary person.”

He also said he would “cross that bridge” later when asked if PKR president Anwar Ibrahim were to ask him to return to politics.

Because of Rafizi’s earlier conviction and jail sentence by the Sessions Court, he opted not to contest in the 14th general election last year.

He attempted to challenge PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali for the party’s number two spot last year but failed. He was then made an appointed vice-president. – November 15, 2019.