Justice Jamil Hussin ruled that the sessions court had not made any error in law or on the facts when finding R Poobalan guilty of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

The judge also dismissed Poobalan’s appeal from his sentence of 18 months’ jail and one stroke of the rotan handed down by trial judge Sabariah Othman on March 8, 2022.

Following the decision, lawyer Adi Zulkarnian sought a stay of the sentence pending appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Jamil set bail at RM150,000 with one surety and ordered Poobalan to report to the Seremban district police headquarters twice a month. He was also ordered to surrender his passport pending disposal of the appeal.

Poobalan, 40, was convicted of deceiving a Great Eastern Life insurance agent in 2016 by convincing him to process a claim of RM1.01 million on the pretext of having suffered a stroke.

In a separate appeal, Jamil acquitted Poobalan of money laundering involving RM1.05 million eight years ago.

He was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of not less than RM5 million or five times the sum of the illegal proceeds.