08-20-2021, 03:30 PM
![[Image: isa-samad-fmt-030221-5.jpg]](https://s3media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/isa-samad-fmt-030221-5.jpg)
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court judge who convicted former Felda chairman Isa Samad for corruption said graft is a serious crime as it has consequences to the people and the nation.
“Corruption disrupts economic growth and denies the right of the people to obtain efficient services. It is akin to cancer and weakens democracy and the rule of law,” Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who convicted Isa in February, said in his 400-page written judgment.
Nazlan said the court had taken judicial notice that corruption was getting worse and rampant compared to the past era.
He said public interest was the overriding factor in determining the measure of punishment and the sentence must reflect the seriousness of the charges.
In this case, he said, the amount was high and the crime was planned by the accused who held high public office.
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