Housewife faces 40 years jail over RM20mil kidnap ransom of husband
JOHOR BARU: A 57-year-old housewife has been charged with conspiring to kidnap her own husband for a ransom of RM20mil.
Chan Wan Kooi merely nodded after the charge was read to her in Mandarin by the court interpreter before Sessions Court judge Hazeelia Muhammad.
The grandmother of four is accused of conspiring with her accomplices – businessman Chong Shih Ming, 46, and two Vietnamese nationals, Luong Van Tung, 39, and Tran Van Chung, 29 – to kidnap her 59-year-old husband.
They allegedly committed the offence at a house near Jalan Straits View here at around 5am on Oct 13, with the intent to demand the ransom.
The charge under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 (Act 365), read together with Section 109 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and caning if convicted.
No plea was recorded, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
Deputy public prosecutors Umar Faiz Abdul Kohar and Nor Maisarah Hassan appeared for the prosecution while Chan was represented by lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh Bant Singh.
Also present during the proceedings were observing lawyers Fairoz Elyas Majeed and Ng Kian Pin.
In applying for bail, Jagjit argued that Chan had already spent a long time in remand and was suffering from heart disease, requiring daily medication.
“The accused has three children aged between 28 and 36 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 her passport and report to the police station if needed,” he said.
The court subsequently denied bail and scheduled the case for mention on Nov 17.
On Nov 4, Chong pleaded not guilty to a charge of kidnapping alongside the two Vietnamese men.
The group allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded RM30mil, later reducing the ransom to RM20mil.
Another suspect in the case remains at large.
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.
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 key evidence used in the kidnapping, again to protect Chong.
These items – an Italian-made pistol, 250 rounds of ammunition, a pair of handcuffs and a pair of keys – were allegedly disposed of at Farm Vacay, Jalan Johor River in Kota Tinggi at around 4.15pm on Oct 26.
Police arrested a total of 14 suspects and also recovered over RM7mil of the RM20mil ransom paid to the kidnappers.
