KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The supreme council of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) on Friday rejected the appeal by the suspended party vice-president Mohamed Isa Abdul Samad but reduced the suspension period from six years to three years.

    Malaysian Prime Minister and UMNO President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the decision after chairing a two-hour supreme council meeting, noting that the decision was final and not appealable.

    "A final decision has been made and no appeals will be accepted for the cases that have been announced," Badawi was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

    The reduction takes effect from June 24, the day the UMNO Disciplinary Board decided to suspend Samad's membership for six years or two terms after finding him guilty of vote buying in the party elections last September.

    Samad, 56, who serves as minister of federal territories in the government, is the most senior UMNO politician found guilty of corruption since Badawi launched the anti-corruption campaign after he came to power in 2003. The suspended party vice-president appealed to the UMNO Appeals Board on July 6.

    UMNO Deputy President Najib Tun Razak said the supreme council decided to reduce the suspension period after considering Samad's years of service in the party and reviewing his conduct after the punishment was imposed.

    When asked whether Samad could maintain his post as minister of federal territories, Razak did not gave a yes-or-no reply.

    UMNO leads the party coalition National Front, which has been ruling Malaysia since its independence in 1957. Enditem