JOHOR BARU: A 57-year-old housewife was charged at the Sessions Court here for allegedly conspiring to kidnap her own businessman husband for RM20mil.
The accused, Chan Wan Kooi, only nodded her head after the charges were read to her in Mandarin by the court interpreter before Sessions Court Judge Hazeelia Muhammad on Sunday (Nov 10).
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However, no plea was recorded as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
According to the charge sheet, the woman is accused of criminal conspiracy with Chong Shih Ming, 46, together with Vietnamese Luong Van Tung, 39, and Tran Van Chung, 29, in committing the offence of kidnapping a 59-year-old man with the intent to demand a ransom of RM20mil.
The act is alleged to have been committed at a house near Jalan Straits View here, around 5am on Oct 13.
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The charge was framed under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 (Act 365), read together with Section 109 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 40 years and caning upon conviction.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Umar Faiz Abdul Kohar and Nor Maisarah Hassan, while the accused was represented by lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh Bant Singh.
Also present during the proceedings were observing lawyers Fairoz Elyas Majeed and Ng Kian Pin.
During the proceeding, Umar Faiz objected to any bail being granted to the accused, as the case would be heard in the High Court, including the matter of bail.
However, Jagjit Singh applied for bail on the grounds that his client had already been in remand for a lengthy period and that the accused was on daily medication for her heart disease.
"The accused has three children aged between 28 and 36 years and four grandchildren aged four to nine. She cares for all of her grandchildren.
"My client undergoes regular check-ups for her health issues. It is understood that the accused is also a director of two companies and has a permanent address in Johor Baru. There is no risk of her fleeing.
“She is also willing to hand over the international passport and report to the police station if needed,” he said.
The court subsequently denied the defence’s application, and no bail was granted.
The case is scheduled for mention again on Nov 17.
On Nov 4, Chong, a 46-year-old businessman, pleaded not guilty after he was charged at the Sessions Court here with kidnapping the victim with Vietnamese nationals Luong Van Tung and Tran Van Chung with the purpose of obtaining a ransom of RM20mil.
They allegedly committed the offence with another suspect, who is still at large, at about 5am on Oct 13.
Separately, Vietnamese Nguyen Ngoc Ngan claimed trial when she was charged at a Magistrate’s Court here on Nov 4 with the disposal of a Japanese sedan car, which was used in the same 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.
Also on Nov 4, two men - Tan Kuan Wei, 43, and Siow Book Pin, 38—pleaded not guilty at the Kota Tinggi Magistrate's Court with disposing of a gun that was used in the kidnapping of the developer.
They allegedly disposed of an Italian-made pistol, 250 live rounds, a pair of handcuffs, and a pair of keys at Farm Vacay Jalan Johor River in Kota Tinggi at around 4.15pm on Oct 26.
The duo were accused of disposing of the items to protect Chong.
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 Chan, 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.
