Welder Sentenced to 78 Years in Prison for Dealing with Terrorist Property and Possessing Videos
Background
A welder, Rosdy Benjamin, 45, was sentenced to a total of 78 years in prison by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today, after pleading guilty to 16 charges of dealing with the property of two Daesh members and possessing videos related to the terrorist group.
Sentencing
Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin sentenced Rosdy to five years in prison for each of the 15 charges of dealing with terrorist property and three years in prison for the charge of possessing the videos. However, he was ordered to serve all the jail sentences concurrently from the date of arrest, which was August 24, 2023.
Mitigation
During mitigation, Rosdy, unrepresented, said he has a wife and three children, as well as his parents, to support. He also said it was his first offence and promised not to repeat it.
Prosecution
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mariam Jamielah Ab Manaff.
Charges
Rosdy was charged with 15 counts of dealing with terrorist property, which involved allowing the deposit of RM63,450 into his Maybank account and then the withdrawal of RM62,801.06 from the account for the benefit of two members of the Daesh group. The offence was committed at Maybank Pusat Perdagangan, Pasir Gudang Branch, Johor Bahru, between March 1, 2015 and June 3, 2016.
He was also charged under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code with possessing two videos related to the Daesh terrorist group on a mobile phone in Taman Scientex, Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru, on August 24, 2023.
Arrest and Investigation
Rosdy was arrested by a team from the Bukit Aman Counter-Terrorism Division of the Special Branch (E8) at 9.23 am on August 24, 2023. He was arrested at Taman Scientex, Pasir Gudang, on suspicion of involvement in terrorist financing activities. The results of the investigation found that he had handled terrorist assets through 15 transactions from a Maybank account between March 1, 2015, and June 3, 2016, and subsequently through the services of a money remittance agent to two men involved with the Daesh group.
Conclusion
The court must give a proportionate sentence to teach the accused a lesson so that he does not repeat the offence and as a lesson to others. The guilty plea saves time and costs for all parties, besides this being the accused’s first offence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What were the charges against Rosdy Benjamin?
A: 16 charges of dealing with terrorist property and possessing videos related to the Daesh terrorist group.
Q: How many years in prison was Rosdy sentenced to?
A: 78 years in prison.
Q: What was the offence committed by Rosdy?
A: He was alleged to have allowed the deposit of RM63,450 into his Maybank account and then the withdrawal of RM62,801.06 from the account for the benefit of two members of the Daesh group.