THE landmark corruption trial of former Minister of Development YAM Pg Indera Wijaya Pg Dr Hj Ismail Pg Hj Damit came to a sobering conclusion yesterday when he was sentenced by the High Court to serve seven years in jail after being found guilty of 11 corruption charges.

Judicial Commissioner Gareth Lugar-Mawson, who presided over the trial, also ordered the ex-minister to pay the Brunei Government almost $5 million in restitution and court costs or face an extension of his prison sentence.

"You have abused the trust placed in you by your subordinates, your colleagues, and by His Majesty the Sultan himself. You alone will bear this shame for the rest of your life, although through your actions your family will be made to bear it too," Judge Lugar-Mawson said.

The senior justice said that while he was aware of the "immense contribution" that the defendant had made to Brunei as Minister of Development, the court cannot ignore his corrupt actions.

"It is always a matter of great sadness for a judge to deal with a case like yours. You have proven to be a man of great ability and great ambition, who has risen to one of the highest offices through your hard work and intellect. However, perhaps thinking you were fire-proof, you have fallen prey to corruption and greed."

Judge Lugar-Mawson said that the only mitigating factor was the great delay in bringing the matter to court, which he had taken into consideration before sentencing, but that for a case of such importance "a meaningful sentence is required justice and the public demand it".

For the three charges under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Pg Indera Wijaya Pg Dr Hj Ismail, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for each charge.

For the eight charges under Section 185 of the Penal Code, he was sentenced to five years for each charge.

The sentences will run concurrently, not consecutively, meaning the former minister will serve only seven years behind bars.

Defence Counsel Ahmad Basuni announced that his client plans to appeal the sentence and requested that the prison sentence be deferred until the appeal had been heard. However, Judge Lugar-Mawson declined the request, meaning the former minister will begin serving his sentence at Jerudong Prison immediately.

Pg Indera Wijaya Pg Dr Hj Ismail was convicted of corruptly awarding over $300 million in government contracts to TED Sdn Bhd, and accepting personal bribes to the tune of $11 million from its Managing Director, Wong Tim Kai.

The case was the first corruption trial to be heard in Brunei's High Court.

The trial of the former minister began on February 14, 2005 before former Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Mohamed Saied and continued for 205 days before the Chief Justice stood down due to ill health in February 2009. The new trial began on September 28 last year and concluded 40 days later on November 26 after 28 witnesses had given evidence.

It has become one of the longest trials in Brunei Darussalam's legal history.

The Brunei Times