The Court of Appeal upheld a 30-year prison sentence for former college lecturer Chai Kong Wee @ Chia Kong Wee for murder and discharging a firearm during a bank robbery. The ruling was issued on May 18, 2026, dismissing the prosecution's appeal for harsher penalties [1, 2, 3, 4].
Chai, age 42, pleaded guilty on August 6, 2025, to charges of murder and discharging a firearm. He received 30 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane for each charge, with sentences running concurrently from sentencing date [1, 2, 3, 4].
The murder charge stems from the killing of Muhammad Aiman Hakim Md Zakri, 21, a security personnel, at a bank in Jalan Prima Utama, Taman Puchong Prima, Puchong, Selangor, on March 11, 2022 at 5:50 pm [1, 2, 3, 4]. Chai was also charged with firing shots at the ceiling during a robbery at a bank in Subang Square Business Centre, Subang Jaya, on September 3, 2020 at 4:30 pm [1, 2, 3, 4].
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Zain Ibrahim argued for the death penalty or 40 years’ imprisonment for the murder, and at least 35 years for the firearm charge. He called the murder brutal and said a deterrent sentence was needed because the robbery and shooting were carefully planned [1]. The prosecution also sought consecutive sentences rather than concurrent ones [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s discretion in ordering concurrent sentences, saying an aggregate consecutive sentence would be manifestly excessive [1, 2, 3, 4].
Chai faces additional 30-year prison terms and 12 strokes per charge in two other similar cases, plus 13 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, all ordered to run consecutively. Defense counsel Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali said the long sentences mean Chai will not see freedom again [1, 2, 3, 4].
The appeal ruling today concluded the challenge to the 30-year terms for murder and discharging firearm, affirming the High Court’s sentencing on those charges and rejecting the prosecution’s request for harsher punishment.
