The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today discharged and acquitted six men and a woman of the charge of murdering and conspiring to murder a female real estate agent at Overseas Union Garden (OUG) last year.

Judge Azman Abdullah discharged the seven accused without calling for their defence after finding the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case at the end of the prosecution’s case.

Two unemployed, M Pal Ganapathy, 26, and S Vijendran, 29, were charged with murdering Wong Siew Ling, 32, in Jalan Hujan Emas 4, OUG, off Jalan Klang Lama, between 2pm and 2.30pm on July 6, 2016, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence.

Five other accused, K Sri Kanapathy, 34, Chen Yuen Ming, 41, Chin Kok Leong, 43, K Sattiyarad, 29, and a woman, Liew Lai Chen, 46, were accused of conspiring to murder the woman at the same place and time.

They were charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 302.

Azman in his judgment said the failure of the victim’s husband to come forward drew two possibilities, that he knew about the murder but was afraid to attend or was involved together.

“However, in her final testimony, the victim’s younger sister stated that the victim had informed her to hand over all documents to her husband if something happened to her.

“On studying the testimony, it appeared the victim’s husband was not involved but his absence in court made the testimony incomplete on the roles of all the accused which could have caused the death of the victim,” he said.

After the decision was announced, all the accused and their families present in court were seen relieved and hugging each other.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Aznika Mohd Anas while the accused Pal Ganapathy and Vijendran were represented by their counsel Vijey Esvaran and Loh Suk Hwa.

The five other accused  - Sri Kanapathy was represented by counsel Nur Hayati Omar, Chen by Geethan Ram Vincent, Chin by N Sivananthan and Low Huey Teng, K Sattiyarad by Freda Sabapathy and Simon Sabapathy, and Liew, by M Rajakumaran.

The prosecution had called 27 witnesses during the trial which began on April 11.

On July 6 last year, the real estate agent died at the scene while her daughter was injured when gunmen fired several shots at the vehicle they were travelling in about 2.30pm.

- Bernama