KUALA LUMPUR: Some 30 witnesses have been lined up to testify at the High Court against 13 individuals accused of kidnapping a Palestinian man, three years ago.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Harvind Raja informed presiding judge Justice K. Muniandy that the witnesses will include several bank officers.
“We will prepare witness statements for them,” he said.
Justice Muniandy then instructed the prosecution to file the statements before the next mention date on May 23.
The trial has been fixed between July 7 and July 11.
The 13 accused were first charged in October, 2022, at the Magistrate's Court.
They are Edy Ko'im Said, 41; Mohamad Norakmal Hassan, 42; Dody Junaidi, 43; Tengku Arif Bongsu Tengku Hamid, 40; Mohamad Naziree Mustapha, 40; Faizull Hardey Mohd Isa, 41; Muhammad Iqmal Abdul Rahis, 26; Mohamad Sufian Saly, 24; Muhammad Al Hatim Mohd Fauzi, 22; Nidarahayu Zainal, 35; Raibafie Amdan, 40; Mohd Zaidi Mohd Zain, 57; and Tengku Hazarul Ismail Tengku Hamid, 52.
According to the charge, they allegedly detained Omar Z. M. Albelbaisy Raeda with a common intention to obtain secret information on deactivating computer software used to hack mobile phones.
They were accused of committing the act at Jalan Mayang here at 10.40pm on Sept 28 and charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment and whipping if convicted.
In December 2023, the High Court allowed the case to be transferred and tried in the Sessions Court.
The prosecution however appealed against the decision for transfer and on Aug 7, 2024, the Court of Appeal ordered for the Kuala Lumpur High Court to conduct the full trial on the case.
The same court will also hear a money laundering case involving Nidarahayu and her husband, Raibafie.
Nidarahayu faces 17 charges of transferring and disposing of RM205,636.32 via her CIMB account to various recipients, while Raibafie was charged with one count of receiving RM30,350 from her.
Last year, the 13 individuals were granted bail of RM50,000 with two sureties by the court.
