The Unholy Act

THE devil’s temptation is always too good to resist and Mohd Firdaus Ramlan learned the hard way that advocating corruption does not pay!

Cash is not king, admitted the former magistrate who was sentenced to three years in prison and fined RM40,000 in 2012 after the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict imposed by the Kota Bharu Sessions Court in Kelantan three years earlier.

His corrupt practice was unveiled by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2009 and he was subsequently convicted of two counts of soliciting and receiving bribe when he presided over a case at the Gua Musang Magistrate Court involving a drug offender who was earlier charged under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

On the first charge, Sessions court judge jailed Mohd Firdaus three years and fined him RM15,000 or a one year’s jail in default. She also jailed him three years and fined him RM 25,000 or 18 months’ jail in default on the second charge. The judge ordered the sentence to run concurrently from the day of arrest.

Mohd Firdaus was a young 28-year-old magistrate then having previously served as a legal advisor for the Klang Municipal City Council and senior registrar at the Kota Bharu High Court.

The now 39-year-old law graduate from a local university is a repented soul, shared his painful experience behind bars and story about corruption in the system, which he was once part of at that time, with students, lecturers and senior management staff of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) live via Microsoft Teams and Facebook on April 14.

Themed Bicara Intergriti: “Tumbuk Rusuk 2.0 Systemic Corruption Pengkisahan Dari Tirai Besi” the event was coordinated by the Integrity and Governance Unit (IGU) of UniKL and the MACC.

Ever since his release from prison in 2014 following a one-third remission on his prison term for good behaviour, netizens have not only applauded Mohd Firdaus for his gallantry to not only own up to the crime, exposed the ‘dark forces’ within our society but more importantly has been actively delivering talks on corruption by sharing his experiences at various institutions, particularly government agencies.

“When I was handcuffed by MACC officials at a petrol station in Kota Bharu on the night of October 11 2009, it was the start of the darkest day of my life that went downhill. I hope my experience will serve as a lesson to all especially university students,” he told the audience.

“At that time my wife was pregnant with our first child. I was shameful of what had transpired. The ordeal of being put behind bars in Kajang Prison was humiliating. My family also had to endure a great deal of trauma after being shunned by the public as the result of my mistake,” he added.

He stressed that his arrest and prosecution had also smeared the good name of the judiciary and the university he graduated from.

“My degree in law has no meaning now following my prosecution. Zero! I paid the fine of RM40,000 and served my time in prison. Imagine how difficult my family went through raising the money to pay the fine,” he added.

Another startling revelation for the crime committed, said Mohd Firdaus, was the difficulty in trying to recite verses from the Quran while serving time.

“My tongue would stiffen every time I wanted to recite verses from the Quran. I could not even say “Alif’ (the first letter of the Arabic alphabet) and only after many prayers seeking forgiveness from Allah the Almighty I was able to read the Quran again. I deem it as a punishment from Allah.”

He said the stigma that followed former convicts upon release was extremely painful and advised students not to be ‘cajoled’ into falling into the abyss of corruption or any crime but instead lead life a straight line.

Upon his release, he confessed, he had to sell nasi lemak to support his family but it was never easy. Close friends had turned foes while the community at large in his former workplace had turned their backs on him.

“By the grace of Allah the Almighty I came through this ordeal gradually. In all honestly, I am grateful to the authorities (MACC) for my arrest and prosecution. It made me realise how much I have hurt my family, crumbled my life, and lost everything I had worked for a good future not to mention friends,” added Mohd Firdaus.

Mohd Firdaus had also used the time served in prison to pen a book that was recently published entitled ‘Tersugung Dek Rasuah’ (Felled by Corruption). It depicts his folly in embracing corruption and its consequences.

“Based on my bitter experiences, I urge everyone to stay away from corruption and embrace one’s religious foundation as the pillar of strength in life. Don’t suffer from your bad misdeeds,” he said