KUALA LUMPUR: A contract welder has been sentenced to three years' jail by the High Court here after pleading guilty to two charges of handling funds belonging to a member of Islamic State (IS) about 10 years ago.
Justice Nurulhuda Nur'aini Mohamad Nor imposed the sentence on Mohd Zairul Mahmud, 40, on Tuesday (Dec 16), ordering the jail term to begin from the date of his arrest on July 23.
"The court has heard submissions from the prosecution and the plea in mitigation from the accused... having considered the charges and the facts of the case, the court imposes a sentence of three years' imprisonment from the date of arrest (July 23, 2025) for each charge,” said the judge.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Zairul was accused of indirectly handling the property of a terrorist by permitting the deposit of RM10,000 and the withdrawal of RM6,000 from his bank account for the benefit of the said individual,at a bank in Bandar Seri Alam, Masai, Johor Baru, between February and May 2015.
He was charged under Section 130Q(1) of the Penal Code, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to 20 years, or a fine, as well as forfeiture of any property involved in the offence.
Based on the facts of the case, the accused was arrested by a team from Bukit Aman's Counter-Terrorism Special Branch (E8) at a premises in Masai, Johor, following a report concerning suspected terrorist financing.
Investigations revealed that between Feb 25 and May 8, 2015, the accused had conducted transactions from his bank account via a money remittance agent. The funds were destined for a man involved with IS.
Deputy public prosecutor Yazid Mustaqim Roslan urged for a deterrent sentence befitting the crime.
Zairul, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a light sentence. He expressed remorse to the court and appealed for leniency as he had to support his family.
He explained that his wife is unemployed and that he is the sole provider for their four school-going children. – Bernama
