Cop jailed for withholding terror info

KUALA LUMPUR: A po­licewoman has been sentenced to seven years’ jail for deliberately not providing information on terror activities to the police.

Judicial Commissioner Nordin Hassan meted out the maximum jail sentence under Section 130M of the Penal Code on Kpl Jusninawati Abdul Gani (pic), 35.

The sentence takes effect from March 22, the day Jusninawati was arrested. Nordin said it was a serious offence and the court had to pass a deterrent sentence.

“The accused failed to carry out her duty as a policewoman when she did not provide information that terrorist Abu Kedah was leaving for Syria to join the Islamic State group,” he said when delivering the judgment yesterday.

Police confirmed in April that Abu Kedah, whose real name is Abd Ghani Yaacob, was killed in Syria after being shot in the chest during a battle near the Al Khair region.

Known as Abu Kedah among fellow militants, the 31-year-old is understood to have become attracted to IS activities via Facebook three years ago.

He reportedly travelled to Turkey in December last year with the help of a fellow Malaysian, before he entered Syria illegally.

Jusninawati, who was based at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters, was charged with intentionally omitting to provide information regarding a terrorist act between August last year and March this year.

Nordin said as a policewoman, Jusninawati was duty-bound to provide the information to the authorities.

In her defence, he said Jusninawati did not deny that Abu Kedah had wanted to bring along first prosecution witness Nor Aziman to Syria but did not inform the authorities about the matter as she regarded it as “empty talk”.

As a trained policewoman, Nordin said she should not use this as a reason. A total of four prosecution witnesses testified in the trial.

Earlier, in mitigation, counsel Nik Zarith Nik Moustpha said his client was a single mother with two children and she earned RM2,500 monthly as a police corporal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Azlina Rasdi said Jusninawati had deliberately withheld information on Abu Kedah and the court should consider public interest.