PUTRAJAYA, April 23 — Former Kuala Lumpur City Hall senior deputy director Sabudin Mohd Salleh began serving a four-year jail sentence today after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction for receiving RM200,000 in bribes linked to the issuance of work permits for a subcontractor.
Sabudin, 64, was taken into custody after a three-member bench unanimously dismissed his appeal against both conviction and sentence.
The bench, led by Justice Datuk Noorin Badaruddin and comprising Justices Datuk Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, also upheld the RM1 million fine imposed by the High Court.
However, the court reduced the default jail term for non-payment of the fine from four years to two years following a concession by the prosecution.
Justice Noorin ordered a warrant of committal to be issued for Sabudin to begin serving his sentence immediately. He had previously been released on bail with a stay of execution pending the appeal.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Noorin said the prosecution had proven corrupt payments were made to the appellant in connection with his official duties.
She said the overall effect of the prosecution’s evidence established beyond reasonable doubt that there had been a meeting between the complainant and Sabudin, and that he had been expecting her at his residence.
Justice Noorin said the RM200,000 was paid to and received by Sabudin as an inducement linked to contract works that were later awarded.
“We agree that such evidence irresistibly points towards the guilt of the accused and effectively negates the conclusions reached by the Sessions Court judge,” she said.
She added that the High Court judge had properly re-evaluated the evidence and the appellate court found no fault in that exercise. By contrast, she said the Sessions Court judge had failed to properly assess the totality of the evidence and had misdirected herself on the applicable legal principles.
Justice Noorin also said Sabudin had failed to establish any plausible nexus between himself, the complainant and the alleged “cartel” said to exist within City Hall.
She said the complainant’s evidence as the giver of the gratification was consistent, credible and supported by surrounding circumstances.
The judge said the complainant knew Sabudin, as shown by her attendance at his son’s wedding, a fact that remained unchallenged throughout the trial, rejecting his claim that she was a stranger to him.
Sabudin was charged with two counts of obtaining RM200,000 in bribes from Wong May Kuan, a subcontractor for Dusari Niaga, while serving as senior deputy director of the civil engineering and urban transport department at Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
The bribes were allegedly given as an inducement to issue work permits for the company, which was carrying out road resurfacing works in Kuala Lumpur from 2018 to 2020.
The first offence was allegedly committed at a convenience store at a petrol station in MRR2, Bukit Antarabangsa, Ampang, on June 9, 2018, while the second took place at his house in Ampang on January 17, 2019.
Sabudin was first acquitted and discharged by the Sessions Court at the close of the prosecution’s case on December 18, 2020, without being called to enter his defence.
However, on March 24, 2022, the High Court allowed the prosecution’s appeal and ordered him to enter his defence before the same Sessions Court judge.
On September 15 that year, he was again acquitted and discharged at the close of the defence case, but on July 26, 2023, the High Court overturned the acquittal and convicted him on both charges.
On August 15 the same year, the High Court sentenced him to four years’ jail for each charge, to run concurrently, and fined him RM1 million. — Bernama
