JOHOR BARU: A businessman pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to kidnapping a 59-year-old developer for a RM20mil ransom.
Chong Shih Ming, 46, together with Vietnamese nationals Luong Van Tung, 39, and Tran Van Chung, 29, were charged with kidnapping the victim at Jalan Straits View here at about 5am on Oct 13 with the purpose of obtaining the ransom.
They were said to have committed the offence with another suspect who is still at large.
The charge was framed under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum jail term of between 30 and 40 years and caning.
Chong pleaded not guilty before Sessions judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim, while Luong and Tran requested a Vietnamese interpreter as they did not understand the charge, which was read in Bahasa Malaysia. DPP S. Thiviya did not propose bail, pointing out that it was a non-bailable offence.
“However, if the court were to consider bail for the accused, the prosecution offers an amount of RM30,000. We hope the nature and severity of the case as well as the danger of witnesses being tampered with will be taken into account,” she said.
Chong’s lawyer, K. Veeranesh, asked the court to set a lower bail amount, saying the accused was a divorcee and had to take care of his elderly parents with his monthly income amounting to between RM5,000 and RM6,000.
The judge then asked the prosecution for the details, saying he needed to consider the facts before coming to a decision.
Thiviya informed the court that police information and intelligence led to the arrest of the three men and that they had not fully recovered the ransom amount.
The court then set RM50,000 as bail for Chong in one surety and ordered him to report to the nearest police station every month, surrender his international passport, and refrain from engaging with the victim and witnesses.
No bail was offered to the Vietnamese duo, with the judge saying that the matter would be reconsidered after the charge was read to them by a Vietnamese interpreter on Nov 17.
The court also set the same date for document submissions.
Separately, Vietnamese Nguyen Ngoc Ngan was charged at a Magistrate’s Court here with the disposal of a Japanese sedan car, which was used in the kidnapping case, at Jalan Keembong 39, Taman Johor Jaya here.
The 36-year-old woman allegedly disposed of the vehicle at around 3.30pm on Oct 24 to protect Chong 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.
DPP Nor Afiqah Musa urged the court not to offer bail to the woman, saying the offence was related to a kidnapping case.
Nguyen’s lawyer, Goh Sze Han, argued otherwise, saying the accused was married to a Malaysian, has two children aged 12 and 14, and also has a permit to stay in Malaysia.
Magistrate A. Sharmini set bail at RM7,000 with one surety and fixed Nov 17 for next mention.
According to previous news reports, the developer was scheduled to go on a business trip when the incident occurred.
Police arrested a total of 14 suspects – 10 locals, including a woman who was the victim’s relative, and three Vietnamese – two men and one woman.
Police also recovered more than RM7mil of the RM20mil ransom paid to the kidnappers.
