KUALA LUMPUR: PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli was sentenced to 18-months in jail for unauthorised possession and exposure of the confidential 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) audit report.

Sessions Judge Zulqarnain Hassan meted out the sentence after he found Rafizi, who is also Pandan member of Parliament, guilty of both offences.

He said the accused had failed to raise doubt in his unsworn evidence, which he gave when he was ordered to enter a defence on both charges.

“A video recording (of a press conference he gave) at Parliament clearly shows him committing the offences,” Zulqarnain said in a packed courtroom here today.

Rafizi was accused of possessing Page 98 of the 1MBD audit report, without approval, at the Parliament lobby in Jalan Parliament at 3pm on March 24 this year.

He is also accused of exposing, without approval, the contents of the page at a press conference on March 28.

Rafizi was charged under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA) which carries a maximum jail term of seven years, upon conviction.

Immediately after sentencing, counsel Gobind Singh Deo applied for a stay on execution on the jail sentence, pending appeal, which Zulqarnain allowed. Deputy Public Prosecutors Shukor Abu Bakar and Zafran Rahim Hamzah prosecuted.-nst