6 Month Jail for Harun

Datuk Harun Idris was sentenced in the High Court to six months' jail for forgery and fined $15,000, or another 6 month's jail, for abetment in criminal breach of trust of nearly $6.5 million worth of stocks and shares belonging to Bank Rakyat.

In passing the sentence, the judge told Datuk Harun that he took into consideration the fact that Harun was "a leader who had held very high position and rendered valuable service to the country."

Datuk Harun, the former chief minister of Selangor was sentenced to 2 year imprisonment on three corruption charges involving a $250, 000 pay-off by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in May last year.

For the same offences of forgery and criminal breach of trust, the bank's former managing director, Datuk Abu Mansor and its ex-general manager, Ismail Din, were sentenced to 2 years plus $25,000 and 1 year plus $15,000 respectively.

All three gave notice of appeal and were freed on bail of $100,000 each.

Meanwhile, the strongman of the Malaysian Chinese Association (M.C.A.) and State Assemblyman of Malacca, Datuk Tan Cheng Swee, was charged with three counts of corruption.

They had since pleaded not guilty in the High Court to all the charges.

Datuk Tan was alleged to have used his position and influence as the Commissioner of the Municipality to approve layout and building plans for a building company, Syarikat Almac Sendirian Berhad, in which he was a shareholder and executive chairman.

A joint trial of all four has been fixed for 20 days from April 11.

(Ref: New Straits Times	25.1.77)
New Straits Times	16.1.77)
New Straits Times	29.1.77)