JOHOR BARU: A businessman and two Vietnamese nationals have been charged at the Sessions Court here with kidnapping a 59-year-old developer for a RM20mil ransom.
Chong Shih Ming, 46, together with Vietnamese Luong Van Tung, 39, Tran Van Chung, 29, were accused of kidnapping the victim on Jalan Straits View here, with another suspect who is still at large.
They were said to have kidnapped the victim at around 5am on Oct 13 with the purpose of obtaining a ransom of RM20mil.
The charge was framed under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum jail term of 30 years to 40 years and caning.
Chong pleaded not guilty before Sessions judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim on Monday (Nov 4) while Luong and Tran requested for a Vietnamese interpreter as they did not understand the charge, which was read in Bahasa Malaysia.
Deputy public prosecutor S. Thiviya did not make a bail offer, citing that it was a non-bailable offence.
“However, if the court were to consider a bail for the accused, the prosecution offers an amount of RM30,000 as we hope that the nature and severity of the case as well as the danger of the witness being tampered with will be taken into account,” she said.
In mitigation, Chong’s lawyer K. Veeranesh asked the court for a lower bail amount as the accused, who is a divorcee, has to take care of his elderly parents with a monthly income of RM5,000 to RM6,000.
Che Wan Zaidi asked the prosecution for the details of arrest as he wanted to consider the facts before coming to a decision.
Thiviya told the court that the three men were arrested based on police information and intelligence and that the ransom amount had not been recovered fully.
The court then set bail for Chong at RM50,000 with one surety and ordered him to report to the nearest police station once a month, surrender his international passport and refrain from engaging with the victim and witnesses.
“For the two other accused, no bail is offered and it will be reconsidered after the charge is read to them by a Vietnamese interpreter on Nov 17,” he said, adding that the same date was set for the submission of documents.
Also present during the proceedings were observing lawyers Fairoz Elyas Majeed and Ng Kian Pin.
Separately, a Vietnamese woman, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan was charged at a Magistrate’s Court here with the disposal of a vehicle that was used in the same kidnapping case.
The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to disposing of a Japanese-made sedan car on Jalan Keembong 39, Taman Johor Jaya here at around 3.30pm on Oct 24.
She was said to have done so to avoid Chong, who was earlier charged under the Kidnapping Act 1961, from getting into trouble with the law. She was charged under Section 201 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to three years and a fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Nor Afiqah Musa appealed to the court not to offer bail to the accused as the offence was related to a kidnap case.
Nguyen’s lawyer Goh Sze Han said the case was a bailable offence and that the accused was not guilty until proven so.
“She is also married to a Malaysian and has two teenage children. She is also staying in the country with a legal permit,” he said, adding that Nguyen was ready to also report to the police station monthly and surrender her passport to the court.
Magistrate A. Sharmini set bail at RM7,000 with one surety and fixed Nov 17 for next mention.
According to previous news reports, the victim was scheduled to go on a business trip when the incident occurred.
The kidnappers demanded a RM30mil ransom, and after negotiating, it was reduced to RM20mil.
Police arrested a total of 14 suspects; ten locals, including a local woman who is the victim’s relative, and three Vietnamese - two men and one woman. Police also recovered more than RM7mil of the RM20mil ransom that was paid to the group of kidnappers.
