Court overturns acquittal and reinstates conviction of former Perak immigration chief

The appellate bench, chaired by Justice Noorin Badaruddin with Justices Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid and Radzi Harun, found the lower court had misapplied the law by dismissing the prosecution's case due to procedural deficiencies. It emphasized that the totality of evidence, such as recordings and the sequence of events surrounding a November 5, 2020 meeting, must be considered together. The court affirmed that the recordings were not intercepted communications requiring a special certificate.

It also concluded that the evidence of a RM7,000 bribe remained coherent despite the lack of an eyewitness to every transaction. Consequently, Zaidi's three-year prison sentence and RM85,000 fine, originally imposed in 2022, were reinstated, while the appeal against former director Zulhairin Yahya was withdrawn after his death.