KUALA LUMPUR — Six men who were previously charged with kidnapping a Palestinian man were today sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by the High Court here for abducting and wrongfully confining him in a chalet three years ago.
Justice K. Muniandy handed down the sentence to Mohamad Norakmal Hassan, 46; Mohd Azwan Jamaludin, 42; Dody Junaidi, 47; Mohamad Sufian Saly, 28; Tengku Hazarul Ismail Tengku Hamid, 54; and Muhammad Al Hatim Mohd Fauzi, 28, after they pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of abduction and wrongful confinement.
The court ordered that the prison terms for Norakmal, Sufian, and Al Hatim begin from the date of their arrest on September 29, 2022. Tengku Hazarul and Azwan will begin their sentences from October 11, 2022 and December 14, 2023, respectively.
The six were jointly accused of forcibly abducting a 31-year-old Palestinian man with the intention of secretly and wrongfully confining him at Jalan Mayang, Dang Wangi, at 10.40pm on September 28, 2022.
They were charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment and may also include a fine, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the victim was held at a chalet in Hulu Langat. Acting on a tip-off, police raided the premises and found the Palestinian man with his hands and feet bound with cable ties.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Badius Zaman Ahmad urged the court to impose a minimum five-year sentence on all six accused, citing the serious impact of their actions on national security.
“All of the accused were originally charged with kidnapping, but their representations were accepted. They should be thankful an alternative charge was offered,” he said.
“They have already been remanded for two to three years, so we are asking for a minimum five-year term,” added Badius, who was assisted by DPP Mohd Sabri Othman.
Defence counsel Norma Goh Kim Lian, representing Norakmal, Azwan, Dody, Sufian, and Tengku Hazarul, appealed for leniency, noting that her clients were remorseful and had dependents to support.
“Our clients did not personally benefit from the offence. They have no previous criminal records and fully cooperated with the authorities throughout,” she said.
Lawyer Adi Zulkarnain Zulkafli, who represented Al Hatim, also requested a lighter sentence, stating that his client regretted his actions, had apologised, and likewise had no prior criminal history.
Meanwhile, the kidnapping case involving the same victim and eight other individuals — Tengku Arif Bongsu Tengku Hamid, 44; Mohamad Naziree Mustapha, 44; Faizull Hardey Mohd Isa, 45; Muhammad Iqmal Abdul Rahis, 30; Mohd Zaidi Mohd Zain, 59; Nidarahayu Zainal, 39; Raibafie Amdan, 44; and Edy Ko’im Said, 45 — will proceed to trial.
The eight are accused of detaining the victim at the same time and location in order to obtain confidential information related to the development and disabling of software used for hacking mobile phones.
They are charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, along with whipping, upon conviction.
In addition, Tengku Arif Bongsu and the married couple, Nidarahayu and Raibafie, face 19 other charges under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, involving more than RM250,000 in total. — July 10, 2025