Ex-Sarawak Civil Servant Sentenced to 468 Years in Jail, RM180 Million Fine for Money Laundering & CBT

The Kuching Sessions Court today sentenced a former Sarawak Department of Welfare finance admin assistant to a whopping 468 years in jail and an RM180 million fine after he was found guilty of 39 criminal charges.

Specifically, the accused, 38-year-old Mohd Zairull Arzuan Mohd Shamsuddin Ja’afar @ Ang Chui Thong was found guilty of 36 counts of money laundering and 3 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) amounting to RM16 million. 

Former Sarawak civil servant sentenced to 468 years in jail and an RM180 fine

According to Harian Metro, for each of the 36 money laundering charges, the accused was sentenced to 12 years in jail and an RM5 million fine by Sessions Court Judge Musli Ab Hamid.

Meanwhile, for each of the 3 counts of CBT, the accused was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment and one whipping.

Should the accused fail to pay the total RM180 million fine for the 36 money laundering charges, he would be given an additional 3 years in jail and 3 whippings.

The prison sentences are allowed to run concurrently, hence he would only serve 12 years in jail if he could settle the RM180 million fine

However, the Malaysian legal system allows prison sentences to run concurrently, hence the accused would only have to serve a minimum of 12 years in jail, depending on whether he could settle the total RM180 million fine.

According to the facts of the case, the accused committed money laundering offences between 2020 and 2022, involving RM6,013,504.30.

Meanwhile, the CBT offences involved RM10,272,350.13 and were committed between 2019 and 2021.

The accused’s actions were found out when his salary slip showed suspicious transactions, with over RM4 million credited into his account.

He was the officer responsible for the Sarawak Department of Welfare’s salary simulation in Sarawak and submitted his resignation letter effective 31 Jan 2022.

However, he shortened his notice period and resigned with immediate effect on 31 December 2021.

For illustration purposes

So, what do you guys think of this case? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. 

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