Appeal to be filed against trio’s acquittal in Kayong murder

KUCHING: The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will file an appeal against the acquittal of three people, including a businessman charged with abetting in the murder of Miri PKR branch secretary and social activist Bill Kayong.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said the prosecution would file an appeal against the Miri High Court’s decision soon.

“I confirm that we are appealing against the acquittal decision,” he told the New Straits Times via a WhatsApp message yesterday.

However, he did not elaborate. On Tuesday, the Miri High Court acquitted corporate figure Datuk Stephen Lee Chee Kiang and two others, ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the trio.

The other two were Lee’s personal assistant Chin Wui Ching, 51, and pub owner Lie Chang Loon, 38.

High Court judge Ravinthran N. Paramaguru ruled that the prosecution did not tender any evidence linking the involvement of the three to the murder of Kayong, also known as Mohd Hasbie Abdullah.

Car repossessor Mohamad Fitri Pauzi, however, was ordered to enter his defence on a charge of murdering Kayong.

The decision over the trio’s acquittal triggered anger among social activists in the state, questioning the capabilities of the prosecution in handling a high-profile murder case.

The Dayak National Congress had urged AGC to investigate the credibility of the prosecution team which handled the case.

Its president, Paul Raja, said the court had said it had no choice but to acquit and discharge the three accused.

“We want to know whether the investigation and prosecution were done properly.”

Kayong was shot dead at a traffic light intersection near the E-mart supermarket in Jalan Miri-Bintulu in Miri at 8.20am on June 21 last year.