By BERNAMA

PKR VP Rafizi Ramli (picture) was spared the jail sentence after the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya last Friday bound him over to be of good behaviour for two years for exposing a page of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report.

A three-man bench, comprising Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi, Datuk Kamardin Hashim and Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, allowed Rafizi’s appeal to be bound over to be of good behaviour for two years on a RM10,000 bond with one surety.

Rafizi, 41, was sentenced to 18 months jail by the Sessions Court in 2016 for the offence and the High Court upheld the decision last year.

Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud did not object to the request by Rafizi’s counsel Ahmad Nizam Hamid for the binding over.

The prosecution also withdrew its cross-appeal against Rafizi’s acquittal on the first charge of possessing the audit report without approval.

Following the withdrawal, Justice Ahmadi, who chaired the bench, struck out the prosecution’s appeal.

Ahmad Nizam informed the court that his client was withdrawing his appeal against conviction and only pursuing his appeal against the sentence.

Rafizi was convicted on the second charge of exposing the content of the report at a media conference at the Parliament building lobby in Jalan Parlimen, Kuala Lumpur, on March 28, 2016.

For the first charge, he was accused of possessing page 98 of the audit report, which had been classified under the Official Secrets Act by the government, at 3pm on March 24, 2016.

Rafizi, attired in a white shirt, black long pants and a black jacket, said he came to court prepared for any possibility, including being sent to jail.

He said he was grateful for the binding over and thanked the court, the deputy public prosecutor and his lawyers. — Bernama