Two ah long enforcers jailed 18 months, fined RM20,000

Two men who worked as debt collectors for unlicensed money lenders, known as 'ah longs,' have been sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined RM20,000 each by the Sungai Petani Magistrate's Court. Khairul Helmy Abd. Karim, 39, and Mohamad Irwan Abdul Halim, 43, pleaded guilty to two charges of harassing and threatening borrowers.

The court heard that on March 14, the two men harassed a borrower by splashing red paint on his Proton Iswara car in Taman Sri Putra. In a separate incident on April 21, they again harassed another borrower by splashing yellow paint on a Naza Forte car and the gate of his house in Taman Berjaya.

These offenses were prosecuted under Section 29(B)(2) of the Moneylenders Act 1951, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. This section carries a fine of RM10,000 to RM50,000, a maximum of two years imprisonment, or both, upon conviction.

For the first charge, each defendant received a RM10,000 fine and an eight-month prison sentence. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional three months of imprisonment. For the second charge, they were each fined RM10,000 and sentenced to 10 months in prison, with an additional four months if the fine is not paid. The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Hazwani Md. Noor, while the defendants were represented by lawyer Nur Farahin Saad from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK).