Justice Hassan Ghani dismissed the appeal filed by former Besut District Council official Zariman Ibrahim, 44, and confirmed the two-month jail sentence along with a RM10,000 fine, Bernama reported.

Zariman will face an additional three months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

The sentence handed down by the sessions court on Aug 17 last year is to be served starting today.

Zariman was convicted under Section 165 of the Penal Code for accepting a RM4,500 bribe through his personal account from Nor Hashimi Hassan, knowing the payment was related to his official duties. The offence was committed on Sept 4, 2018.

The accused’s lawyer, Zamri Jail, appealed for a lighter sentence, suggesting that the prison term be replaced with a fine.

However, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh argued that the original sentence was appropriate and should be upheld as a deterrent to others.