PKR deputy sec-gen jailed over RM50k political donation case

The Court of Appeal today sentenced PKR deputy secretary-general Mohd Yahya Mat Sahri to two years' jail and whipping for "cheating" a man several years ago for a political donation. PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said Yahya was detained over a RM50,000 donation for the 100th day celebration of Pakatan Rakyat in power in Selangor. He said Yahya's detention was among a series of allegations and charges by the authorities against the Pakatan Rakyat leadership in its first year in power in the state. Other cases had involved the detention of the late Teoh Beng Hock, an aide to a Selangor exco, but there were no other convictions, he said. "The Court of Appeal had set aside the arguments of Yahya's counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon, who said the donor admitted he gave the money willingly, that the money was deposited into the party's account, the purpose of the donation was also confirmed, and that Yahya did not spend the donation for personal use. "Of course the people will be the judge to the judges in Putrajaya when they compare how Yahya is being punished with two years' jail while there are no efforts to charge (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak) over the RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal accounts," he said in a statement. Manjeet had used Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali's refusal to frame charges in the RM2.6 billion donation case, citing "insufficient evidence", when asking the court to throw out the case last January. He said he even wrote to the A-G to withdraw the case against his client but there was no reply. Rafizi said PKR would discuss further on how to help Yahya. "I want to remind the Pakatan Harapan leadership that the authorities will use harsher means, including jailing MPs and party leaders who are facing court cases," he said. Yahya was a special officer to former Selangor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. He was charged with cheating Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar into believing that the PKR secretariat was seeking sponsors for the party's 100th day celebration in 2008. He was also charged with opening a bank account using a forged document. In 2011, the Sessions Court acquitted Yahya of both charges, on grounds that the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt. In 2013,  the High Court allowed the prosecution's appeal and sentenced Yahya to two years' jail and two strokes of the rotan for cheating Karim. The High Court also upheld the finding of the trial court that freed Yahya for forgery. – March 4, 2016.]]>