THE former director of Malacca’s Public Works Department was sentenced to 22 years and six months jail and fined RM36 million by the Sessions Court today over 18 counts of bribery and money laundering totalling more than RM5.4 million.

Judge Mohd Nasir Nordin said 58-year-old Khalid Omar’s defence had failed to provide reasonable doubt that their client was guilty of the charges.

Khalid was sentenced to 15 months’ jail for each of the 13 counts of bribery and 15 months’ jail for each of the five counts of money laundering. He was also fined RM36 million over the money-laundering charges.

The sentences are to be carried out starting today.

However, the court allowed stay of execution on his sentence pending his appeal at the High Court. Bail was set at RM250,000 with one surety.

In the 13 counts of corruption, Khalid was accused of accepting up to RM196,200 in cash, with the highest amount being RM50,000, at the JKR Malacca office at Jalan Taming Sari between March 2014 and August 2016.

The five money-laundering charges involved RM5.2 million, of which RM206,396.16 involved an Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 account; RM506,735.92 involved a Tabung Haji account; more than RM1.98 million involved an Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 account; more than RM2.13 million involved an Amanah Saham Didik account and RM375,200 cash.

The prosecution was handled by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib and Mohd Khairulhazman Ghazali while the defendant was represented by Baljit Singh Sidhu.

Forty-five prosecution witnesses and five defence witnesses were summoned to testify during the trial. – July 5, 2018.