Two freed of robbery charge
Duo acquitted after their alibis checked out
KUALA LUMPUR: Two men were freed of charges of robbing a Road Transport Department (JPJ) office of over RM700,000 after their alibis checked out, but a third one was ordered to enter his defence.
Sessions Court judge Zaman Mohd Noor acquitted gravedigger Shamsuri Abd Karim, 41, and despatch rider Mohamad Afif Hussin, 27, ruling the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against them.
He ordered plantation worker Muhammad Fadzil Abdullah, 23, to enter his defence based on testimony by four prosecution witnesses who were able to partially identify him, plus CCTV footage of the robbery.
The trio were accused of using a parang to rob cash amounting to RM754,840.30 belonging to JPJ at its Wangsa Maju office here at 5.30pm on July 4 last year.
Under Section 395 of the Penal Code, Muhammad Fadzil faces up to 20 years’ jail and whipping, if convicted.
During submissions earlier, deputy public prosecutor Amira Sariaty Zainal said the police seized a large sum of cash from the men’s homes.
She said the money was hidden and only uncovered after the police got the men to point out where the piles of cash were.
However, Shamsuri and Mohamad Afif ’s lawyer, Ariff Azami Hussein, argued that there was no evidence that the money con
fiscated was in any way linked to the robbery.
He said the investigating officer testified that the alibis given by Shamsuri and Mohamad Afif were valid and proved that they were not at the robbery.
Muhammad Fadzil was represented by lawyer Ethan W.H Tan.
On the day of the incident, two men armed with parang and wearing helmets entered the JPJ office through the back door, which was unlocked.
They confronted an employee and seized the cash at the counter of the Accounts and Revenue Unit in the office. It was later revealed that the clerk was in on the heist.
The clerk, Norzaisyima Ahmad Zaidin, 41, admitted to her involvement and was sentenced to four years in jail by a separate Sessions Court.