THE Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) wants a more punitive jail sentence against Lokman Noor Adam for intimidating a witness in former prime minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the prosecution was seeking a three-month jail term against the former Umno Supreme Council member and contended that his one-month sentence was insufficient to show the gravity of the offence.

“The sentence meted out by the High Court should be increased to at least three months to show the seriousness of the offence.

“We have to protect the public’s interest and the dignity of the administration of justice. The respondent’s (Lokman) conduct has affected this.

“The punishment should be increased to at least three months,” he told the court.

Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who represented Lokman, argued that his client was only practising his civic duty when he lodged a police report against Najib’s former special officer, Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, who was the eighth witness in the 1MDB trial.

“A police report cannot be subjected to contempt.

“My client lodged the report after the witness (Amhari) admitted that he received monies from fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho.

“How can this be intimidation?” he told the court.

The three-member panel led by Kamaludin Md Said then fixed October 3 for case management.

Today’s hearing was in relation to the prosecution’s appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision last year where Lokman was sentenced to a month in prison after he was found guilty of contempt for intimidating a prosecution witness in the 1MDB trial. – September 29, 2022.