PUTRAJAYA: The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) is seeking a stiffer jail sentence against Datuk Lokman Noor Adam for intimidating a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) witness.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar in his submission at the Court of Appeal today said the prosecution was asking for a three-month jail term against the former Umno supreme council member.
Lokman was sentenced to a month in jail by the High Court for contempt of court after he was found guilty of intimidating Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin who was the prosecution witness in Datuk Seri Najib Razak's corruption trial.
"The sentence meted out by the High Court should be increased to at least three months to show the seriousness of the offence.
"In his police report, the contemnor makes further allegations that it was Ahmari who mislead the accused (Najib) and was in cahoots with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low to victimise Najib.
"The contemnor further quoted some of the evidence presented in court and manipulated it in the police report to paint the picture that the accused (Najib) was victimised by Amhari.
"These acts constitute intimidation on the aforesaid witness and further witnesses for the prosecution," he said.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who represented Lokman, argued that his client was only practicing his public duty when he lodged a police report against Amhari.
"A police report cannot be subjected to contempt.
"My client lodged the report after the witness (Amhari) admitted that he received monies from fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho.
"How can this be intimidation?" he said.
The three-panel member led by Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said then fixed Oct 3 for case management.
The committal proceeding was instituted against Lokman by former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas.
It was done after Lokman was accused of threatening one of the key witnesses in the trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak involving the misappropriation of RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds.
In the application to initiate the committal proceedings, Thomas alleged that Lokman had been in contempt of court on two occasions on Sept 25, 2019.
The former A-G had sought an order that Lokman be committed to prison or fined for contempt.
Lokman had in a video interview uttered words implying a threat against Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin for having testified against Najib in the trial.
Amhari was the former special officer to Najib. - NST
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