KUALA LUMPUR: Former Youth and Sports Ministry finance division secretary Otman Arshad has been sentenced to 15 years in jail and fined RM284.2 million after he was found guilty of 96 counts of corruption and money-laundering.
Judge Kamarudin Kamsun found Otman guilty after he heard all the testimonies presented in court and analysed the case exhibits.
He found that the defence had failed to raise any reasonable doubt and that the prosecution has successfully proved their case against Otman.
Otman was charged on Mar 31, 2016, with 32 counts of abuse of power and submitting false claims involving RM38.4 million at the National Sports Council Office (MSN) at the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex here between Feb 28, 2012 and Nov 18, 2015.
The 17 charges of submitting false claims were under Section 18 (a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act (MACC) 2009, while the remaining 15 charges of abuse of power were under Section 23 (1) of the same Act.
In April 2016, Otman and three company directors pleaded not guilty to 191 counts of money-laundering involving some RM16.6 million.
Otman faced 64 charges, Abdul Ghafar Abdurahiman and his wife Siti Rohana Hussien faced 63 charges each, and Halmi Khalid faced one.
Otman is alleged to have laundered the RM16.6 million between March 2012 and December 2015.
He is accused of transferring between RM50,000 and RM900,000 in each transaction, from the four bank accounts of Abdul Ghafar, Siti Rohana and Halmi's, into his own accounts.
He allegedly committed the offences at different locations, including the RHB Bank branch in Precinct 8, Putrajaya, Menara Maybank on Jalan Tun Perak and the Maybank branch on Jalan Raja.
The charges under Section 4 (1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, carry a maximum jail term of 15 years, or a fine not less than five times the sum of the proceeds from unlawful activities, upon conviction.