KOTA KINABALU: A former Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) senior manager was sentenced to a total of 29 months’ jail for receiving bribes amounting to RM59,000 as reward for helping a contractor to get projects in 2017.

       Suffian Abdul Ghani, 51, pleaded guilty to three charges before the Special Corruptions Court judge Abu Bakar Manaton Tuesday (Feb 8).

       In the first charge, Suffian had on March 9, 2017, received RM44,000 from one Nordin Abdillah, owner of Shadaz Enterprise, as a reward to ensure all claims by the company would be approved by SESB.

       It was also a guarantee that the company would be appointed for future emergency projects that SESB had to offer.

       He was sentenced to six months’ jail and fined RM220,000 for this charge and would need to spend an extra three months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.

       In the second charge, Suffian was said to have received RM5,000 on Oct 16 the same year from one, Phang Thou Kim, for the same purpose.

       He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined RM25, 000 for this, or one month jail in default.

       For the third charge, Suffian was sentenced to six months behind bars and a RM50, 000 fine or one month in jail in default for receiving RM10, 000 from Phang, on May 4,2017 for the same purposes.

       Suffian did not pay all the fines and the judge ordered Suffian to serve his jail sentence concurrently starting on Feb 8, which means he will be behind bars for 11 months.

       In another case, two grocery businessmen were fined RM10,000 each for offering RM7,000 to a police officer so that they would not be arrested and charged for possession of untaxed cigarettes in April, 2020.

       The two - Zia Ulla Mir Akbar Khan, 31, and Farman Ali Muhammad Hakim, 37, - pleaded guilty to the charges and paid their fines.