USM Lecturer And His Brother Face 3 Years Jail And RM807k Fine For Power Abuse
The lecturer approved his younger brother’s company to supply various goods to the university.
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How corrupt is academia, which is expected to uphold justice, honesty, fairness, probity, impartiality and discipline?
A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer and his younger brother were each sentenced to three years in prison by the Sessions Court in Butterworth on Friday (19 August) for abuse of power.
They were also fined RM807,475 after being found guilty of nine charges of abuse of position ten years ago.
Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah sentenced Badaruddin Mohamed, 56 and his younger brother, Mustafa Kamal, 50, after the defence failed to prove any reasonable doubts at the end of the defence proceedings.
The two brothers also face prison terms between one to six months, depending on the charges, if they fail to pay the fine.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Azlan Basri, while the two accused were represented by a lawyer, Shamsul Sulaiman.
The court allowed the application for a stay of execution of the sentence pending an appeal of the conviction.
The two defendants had to submit their passports and report themselves to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) officials every month until the case appeal was over.
In October 2018, Badaruddin pleaded not guilty in the same court to nine charges of misuse of his power and position to obtain bribes.
Siblings In Crime
Badaruddin was accused of abusing his position as head of USM’s Sustainable Tourism Research Cluster (STRC).
He appointed his brother’s company to supply 30 units of glass souvenirs worth RM3,450 and office biometric equipment worth RM2,920 to STRC between 5 September 2011 and 14 May 2012.
He purchased items such as cameras and official items, which totalled RM160,163.
Badaruddin was charged under subsection 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, while Mustafa faced nine counts of abetting his brother under Section 28 (1) (c) of the same act.
Badaruddin was charged with committing the crime according to Section 23(1) of the 2009 SPRM Deed.
According to Section 28(1)(c) of the same deed, his brother was charged with committing adultery at the same place and location.
Public Outrage
Netizens were disappointed that a learned man would commit such crimes.
Some said it’s not surprising since the government is plagued with corruption starting from the very top of the leadership.
They said the rampant corruption is because offenders are not punished and could even continue to reap benefits from the government.
Netizens said the lecturer’s crime merely reaffirms that corruption has become a way of life in Malaysia.
At the same time, some said schools should focus more on teaching moral values and ethics to reduce graft.
They added that universities should conduct more stringent audits to weed out corruption.
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