SHAH ALAM – The high court here today gave a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to 14 individuals, including four Chinese nationals and two siblings of fugitive businessman, Nicky Liow Soon Hee, from charges of being involved in an organised crime group known as Geng Nicky.
Two of the accused are the younger brothers of Nicky, namely Datuk Liow Wei Kin and Datuk Liow Wei Loon, while the other accused are Lee Han Keat, Lee Kam Onn, Datuk Lee Kum Weng, Eee Eng Chee, Dr Jovian Joris Tan Chern Chian, Datuk Loo Siew Chin, Lim Kang Li and Datuk Seri Andrew Lim Kim Ming, as well as four Chinese nationals, Huang Lei, Wang Yu Jun, Gu Xing Qiong as well as Jiang Xue, all aged between 20 and 56.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said judge Datuk Abd Halim Aman made the decision following the application of the prosecution to release all the accused without being acquitted as the prosecution intends to pursue the charges in the future.
He said the judge made the decision based on Article 145 of the federal constitution, in which the power to charge, not to charge and to withdraw all charges is vested with the public prosecutor.
Iskandar said initial investigations conducted by the prosecution were incomplete and the counsel had also sent representation on the charges to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
“The attorney-general has studied the representation and agreed to withdraw the case,” he said after the case proceedings.
Counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh requested that all his clients be released as they were arrested between March 18 to 21 and were detained for 21 days under Section 13 of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
According to the charge, the 13 were accused of being members of the organised crime group, Geng Nicky, in the area of SetiaWalk, Persiaran Wawasan, Pusat Bandar Puchong, between January 1, 2017, and March 20 this year.
They were charged under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum of 20 years in jail if found guilty.
Meanwhile, Kim Ming was accused of assisting the same criminal group at SetiaWalk, Persiaran Wawasan, Pusat Bandar Puchong, here, between January 1, 2017, and March 29, this year, under Section 130W of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum of 10 years imprisonment upon conviction. – Bernama, September 30, 2021