2022: Looking back on court and crime cases that made headlines

SHAH ALAM – We have now made it to the end of 2022. Like the previous years, 2022 brought with it unforgettable news headlines that will be remembered by not only Malaysians, but also others from all over the world.

We were served with jaw-dropping news from major court verdicts to tragic incidents.

It was truly a memorable year especially for the Malaysian judiciary when Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the first Malaysian prime minister to be jailed.

The year also ended with headlines on a heart-breaking landslide tragedy in Batang Kali which claimed the lives of 31 people and children.

These events will surely not be erased from the people’s memories easily.

Sinar Daily takes a look back at this year’s major courts and crime news.

Feb 18: Celebrity preacher Ebit Lew was charged at the Tenom magistrate’s court with 11 counts of sexual harassment. He was accused of insulting the modesty of a woman in her 40s by sending obscene words to the victim’s phone number via the WhatsApp application between March and June, last year.

Aug 7: A mother of three who was allegedly being cyberbullied on TikTok was believed to have committed suicide. The 44-year old woman was found at her home in USJ, Subang Jaya and she was pronounced dead as she was transported to the hospital. Her TikTok account was believed to have garnered a barrage of hateful comments over her appearance and her handbag collections. Her sudden death sparked anger over social media while her followers urged the cops to probe the involved cyberbullies.

Aug 23: The Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction and 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds. He was ordered to serve his sentence at the Kajang Prison immediately. Prior to the court’s decision, he read a 20-page statement from the dock, claiming that the judiciary had been unfair to him as he watched the chance of his appeal succeeding slowly dwindle throughout the entire week (of the hearing of the appeal).

Aug 26: The Federal Court granted leave to Family Support and Welfare Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) and six mothers to proceed with their appeal against a Court of Appeal’s ruling which denied automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses. They were seeking for their overseas-born children to have the right to become Malaysian citizens.

Sept 1: The month after Najib was sent to the Kajang Prison to serve his jail term, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was sentenced to 10 years jail and fined RM970 million by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. This was after the court found her guilty of corruption involving a RM1.25billion solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.

Sept 2: The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court ordered Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Mokhtar Radin and his celebrity wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad to enter their defence on charges of corruption and abetment involving a total of RM2.8million over unit trust investments.

Sept 23: The Shah Alam High Court acquitted former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of 40 charges of receiving bribes from a company to extend its foreign visa system (VLN) contract. This was after the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the Umno president.

Sept 30: Cosmetics product agent Rosnazirah Mohd Naim who was kidnapped at her home in Tumpat, Kelantan on Sept 13 was safely rescued and brought home. The victim was rescued with the assistance and sharing of information between the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and the Royal Thai Police who managed to detect the presence of the victim in the country. Seven local men were detained around Kelantan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur to facilitate investigations into the case under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961. During the Sept 13 incident, the 36-year-old woman was kidnapped by several men from her home in Kampung Semat Jal at around 5.10pm. The victim was suspected to have been smuggled out of the country through an illegal jetty in Kuala Jambu after the car used by the suspects was located.

Oct 18: It was revealed that a group of locals including a woman had acted as Israeli operatives to abduct two high-value Palestinians, said to be linked to the Hamas based in Kuala Lumpur. English daily New Straits Times in its report revealed how the Mossad operation to abduct two Palestinians unfolded at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng on Sept 28. It was reported that things took a wrong turn when they only managed to capture one of the Palestinians while the other escaped and immediately lodged a police report. Immediate action by the police led them to a chalet in Hulu Langat, where the squad walked into an on-going interrogation by Israeli men via a video call. The abducted Palestinian was found tied up to a chair and badly beaten up.

Nov 23: The Court of Appeal upheld the Health Ministry’s decision to ban smoking in all eateries. It ruled that smoking in public places is not a fundamental right that should be protected under the Federal Constitution.

Dec 9: The Kuala Lumpur High Court granted Former Lembaga Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim a full acquittal in his criminal charges involving road projects in Perak and Kedah. This was after the court allowed his notice of motion to get a full acquittal against his nine charges, comprising three for corruption and six for money laundering. The prosecution did not raise any objection to his application to vary the Sessions Court order from a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to a full acquittal.

Dec 13: Two women and a child were injured after falling from a fun fair ride at Eco Grandeur in Puncak Alam, Selangor. The three fell while the ride known as the “Sotong Ride” was in motion. Several videos and photos of the incident went viral on social media showing the ride going out of control, which caused the victims to fall. The case was investigated according to Section 6 of the Selangor State Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 1995 for operating without a licence.

Dec 16: A landslide struck the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali which was dubbed as the second deadliest incident after the Highland Towers tragedy. The incident occurred at 2.30am. A total of 92 victims were involved in the incident, 31 of whom were found dead while 61 survived. The search and rescue (SAR) operation to locate all the victims lasted for 10 days.

Dec 16: The family of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu was awarded RM5 million in damages by the Shah Alam High Court over her death in 2006. This was after the court found that the plaintiffs have successfully established their case against former policemen Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, as well as Abdul Razak Baginda who were the first, second and third defendants in the suit. The court also found that the government (fourth defendant) as the employer was vicariously liable for the unlawful actions of the first and second defendants, which were carried out in the capacities of police officers. The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit on June 4, 2007, claiming that the model’s death resulted in them suffering mental shock and psychological trauma, and sought compensation as well as exemplary and aggravated damages.

Dec 21: The Foreign Ministry received reports that 488 Malaysian citizens have been victims of job scam syndicates in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand as at Dec 20. According to the ministry, 359 of the 488 have been rescued. The ministry, through the Malaysian embassies in the countries concerned and in close cooperation with the Malaysian police, will continue to redouble efforts to track down the remaining victims.