KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) chief executive officer Nasiruddin Mohd Ali and 12 other men were freed from Kajang Prison yesterday after serving 13 months and 20 days in custody.

According to Berita Harian, lead defence counsel Datuk Rosli Kamaruddin said his clients were released after the completion of prison administrative procedures, despite each being sentenced to 15 months in jail for being members of an illegal organisation.

“They did not need to return to Sungai Buloh Prison. All procedures were completed here.

“After fingerprint verification and documentation were done, they were allowed to go home. 

“The 13 months in remand, combined with the standard one-third remission, qualified them for release,” he said when met outside the Kajang Prison Court Complex.

In the same report, Rosli said nine female accused who were each fined RM4,500 were also released after their payments were made at the same location.

At around 1pm, all the accused were taken to the main prison building located a few minutes from the court complex. They were released after Friday prayers.

Earlier, all 22 defendants had pleaded guilty to being members of GISBH, which had been declared an illegal organisation, between October 2020 and September 11 last year in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang.

They were charged under Section 43 of the Societies Act 1966, which provides for a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.

The alternative charge was filed after the Attorney General’s Chambers accepted representations to reduce the original charge under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code for membership in an organised crime group.

High Court Judge Datuk Seri Latifah Mohd Tahar, who presided over the proceedings at the Kajang Prison Court Complex, had ordered all 13 male accused to serve their jail terms from the date of their arrest, between September 25 and October 12 last year.

She also ordered Nasiruddin’s wife, Azura Md Yusof, and eight other women to serve seven months’ imprisonment if they failed to pay their fines.

In her judgment, Latifah said the court took into account that all defendants had pleaded guilty to the reduced charge and expressed remorse over their actions.

The 13 male defendants were Nasiruddin, 66; Hasnan Abd Hamid, 54; Mokhtar Tajuddin, 62; Mohd Fazil Md Jasin, 58; Shuhaimi Mohamed, 57; Muhammad Zahid Azhar @ Nadzri, 52; and Mohd Shukri Mohd Noor.

Also named were Mohamad Adib At-Tarmizi Asa’ari, 33; Mohd Dhirar Fakhrur Razi, 35; Mohamad Sayuti Omar, 36; Muhammad Afdaluddin Latif, 35; Muhammad Fajrul Islam Khalid, 29; and Abu Ubaidah Ahmad Shukri, 35.

The nine female defendants were Azura Md Yusof and Siti Salmiah Ismail, both 58; Nur Jannah Omar, 33; Nurul Jannah Idris, 29; Asmat @ Asmanira Muhammad Ramly, 45; Khalilatul-Zalifah Mohammad Jamil, 28; Siti Hajar Ismail, 52; and Mahani Kasim, 55.