A three-member Court of Appeal bench chaired by Kamaludin Md Said said there was no merit in Rijali Solah’s appeal.

“We have deliberated on the written submissions and appeals records. There is no reason to disturb the findings of the lower court,” said Kamaludin who sat with P Ravinthran and M Gunalan.

Rijali had paid a RM10,000 fine and completed his prison term last year.

His lawyer G Ravi Shankar told reporters that Rijali suffered a stroke while in jail after the High Court refused a stay of the custodial sentence pending the final appeal.

He said Rijali, who served the force for about 30 years, filed the appeal in the hope the conviction could be set aside and he be paid arrears in salary, pension and the return of the RM10,000 fine.

The former assistant investigating officer at the Yan district narcotics unit had agreed to accept the money from Mohd Hizzam Hussin as an inducement for him to swap the latter’s urine test result.

The offence, committed at a restaurant in Gurun at 2.10pm on May 12, 2014, is punishable with a maximum 20 years in jail and a fine five times the money received or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

In December 2017, the sessions court sentenced him to a year’s jail and fined him RM10,000 or another six month’s jail. He paid the fine but the trial court allowed the stay of jail term pending appeal to the High Court.

On Oct 22, 2019, the High Court dismissed his appeal and ordered him to serve the jail term.

Deputy public prosecutor How May Ling submitted today that the accused had initially asked for RM600 but demanded another RM200 two days later.

“The complainant was unhappy but agreed to pay the accused RM700,” she said, adding that the MACC laid a trap at the restaurant.

She said that, at the restaurant, the accused guaranteed that Hizzam’s urine test result would be changed from positive to negative to escape prosecution for consuming drugs.

How said two MACC officers nabbed the accused soon after Hizzam paid the money.