KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — A Malaysian detained at the Toyamanishi police station in Toyama, Japan for allegedly being involved in an online fraud syndicate was charged in a Japanese court last month and pleaded guilty to two charges.
Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said the charges against Muhammad Faiq Zafran Mohd Jailani, 23, were brought under Articles 246 and 60 of the Japanese Penal Code.
Article 246 relates to the offence of fraud, where a person deceives another into handing over property or financial benefits, while Article 60 concerns offences committed jointly.
“Based on these two provisions, the maximum sentence can be up to 10 years’ imprisonment. To date, sentencing has not been imposed, and a decision is expected in March,” he said during a media conference today, with the victim’s parents Noor Zuhaini Ismail and Mohd Jailani Ambak in attendance.
Hishamuddin added that an additional charge is expected to be filed against the accused on March 12.
The MHO had earlier believed that Faiq was still under investigation, but was informed by legal aid lawyers in Japan that two charges had already been filed and that guilty pleas had been recorded.
Meanwhile, during his meeting with Malaysia’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Japan Zainal Azlan Mohd Nadzir on February 4, the embassy confirmed it had not been informed of the arrest and only learned of the matter through news reports and the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra).
“Had notification been made earlier, the family would have had the opportunity to appoint a private lawyer to examine the facts of the case before any guilty plea was recorded,” Hishamuddin said.
Accordingly, the MHO is seeking the intervention of the Malaysian government, particularly Wisma Putra, to obtain a detailed explanation of the legal process Faiq is facing.
He said the intervention is not intended to challenge Japan’s legal system, but to ensure that consular rights and access to proper legal defence are upheld.
Bernama had reported that Zuhaini lodged a police report on November 30 last year after failing to contact her son since November 19, before the matter was referred to Wisma Putra on December 8.
Efforts to trace him eventually revealed that Faiq was being detained at the Toyamanishi police station in Japan for his alleged involvement in an online fraud syndicate.
