Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said he imposed a custodial sentence after taking into account the circumstances of the case and having heard mitigating and aggravating factors by counsel.

“The one-month jail term begins from today,” he said.

Lokman had threatened Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin as he was in the midst of giving evidence in the trial in 2019.

The court, however, allowed Lokman to stay the jail term pending appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Sequerah ordered Lokman to post a RM3,000 bond in one surety.

Earlier, the judge said Lokman had threatened Amhari and there was the possibility of other prosecution witnesses being harassed.

“This (conduct) is tantamount to interference in the administration of justice,” he said in his oral grounds.

Sequerah said Lokman had no business determining whether Amhari was telling the truth or otherwise when he was giving evidence.

He said Lokman had bad intentions (mala fide) when he lodged a police report and later for issuing a press statement as Amhari was still giving evidence.

There was also no ambiguity in the contempt charge framed against Lokman, he said.

Sequerah also said Lokman was represented by an able counsel in attempting to rebut the contempt charge.

“As such, I find him guilty of committing contempt and convict him accordingly,” he said.

In mitigation, Lokman’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, urged the court to impose a non-custodial sentence with a fine.

“He is a first offender,” Shafee said, adding that this was a technical offence as Lokman had lodged a police report with the intention of asking the authorities to investigate what Amhari had said in court.

He said no physical threat was made against Amhari and the witness had not made any official complaint.

Ad hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said Lokman had been defiant and had not expressed remorse.

He said Lokman did not stop at merely lodging a report but went on to repeat the contents to the media.

“He should be given a custodial sentence for aggravating the situation,” he said, adding that Lokman was not an uneducated person.

Sri Ram said failure of this court to act would result in future witnesses in this case becoming victims of intimidation and harassment.

“This court must provide an umbrella to protect vulnerable witnesses,” he said, adding that Lokman was a strong supporter of Najib, “once a powerful personality”.

On Oct 22, 2019, Sequerah had allowed then attorney-general Tommy Thomas to initiate committal proceedings against Lokman.

Lokman lodged a police report challenging Amhari’s credibility as a witness following Amhari’s admission on the witness stand that he had received a US$200,000 loan from fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low.

The prosecution submitted that Lokman’s comments about Amhari were not only tantamount to threatening the witness or other potential witnesses, but also undermining the administration of justice.

It said Lokman had on Sept 29, 2019 also given a video interview where he allegedly attacked the integrity of the attorney-general.

Najib, 67, faces four charges for abusing his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.

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