KUALA LUMPUR: The long-awaited justice sought by Cheong Mei Kuen was finally done when the High Court today sentenced former tow truck driver Koong Swee Kwan, 48, to the gallows.
Koong was found guilty of murdering Cheong’s husband, Arab-Malaysian Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi, 75, by gunning him down; and the attempted murder of Cheong herself, for which he received an 18-year jail sentence.
The crime, which shocked the nation, was committed in the parking lot of the Kuan Yin Temple near Lorong Ceylon here, between 1.30pm and 2pm on July 29, 2013.
Cheong was present at today’s proceedings to deliver her victim impact statement before Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman, and could not contain her emotions, sobbing on the witness stand.
Clad in a black suit and white scarf, Cheong said she had been traumatised physically and emotionally by the crime.
“For two long years, I was essentially bedridden, confined in my modest home, reliving the horror over and over in my mind like a horror movie, to the point where it could have permanently driven me mad.
“With the loss of my husband, I had no one to share my sorrows with. Even my family members moved on with their lives, but I could not,” she told the court.
Cheong said she suffered severe injuries, loss of capabilities and mobility of movement, second-stage haemorrhagic shock, mental torment, palpitations, weak visibility, slander, libel and false statements made by some irresponsible parties.
“I lost a husband who was the salt of the earth. My mental peace will never be restored. Time cannot heal my pain and trauma, as it is beyond comprehension how a person could do this to another human being,” said Cheong, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Koong was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries the mandatory death penalty; and Section 307 of the same Code for attempted murder, which carries a maximum 20 years’ imprisonment.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Aisyah Ahmad had asked the court to impose the maximum 20-year jail sentence on Koong for his attempt to murder Cheong.
“This case is of public interest. Justice will only be served if the court imposes the maximum sentence on the accused,” she said.
Koong was represented by counsel Datuk Michael K. L. Chee.
Before handing down the sentence, Ab Karim said the defence had failed to prove reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.
“I do not believe the defence’s story,” he said, adding that Koong’s jail sentence will run from the date of his arrest on Sept 22, 2013.
Koong was tried and convicted by the High Court in Sept 2014, and he was sentenced to death for murdering Hussain; and 18 years’ jail for attempting to murder Cheong.
However, on Dec 14, 2016, the Federal Court’s five-man bench, chaired by then Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, set aside Koong’s conviction and ordered a retrial on the grounds that the initial trial had been prejudicial to him.