Ex-banker shot over RM100m land deal gone sour

KUALA LUMPUR - A  prime land deal worth more than RM100 million in Lorong Ceylon belonging to the Kuan Yin temple is believed to be  behind the assassination of former banker Ahmad Hussain Najadi.

The land where the temple stands includes, and is surrounded by, a 100-lot carpark, foodstalls and the temple itself.

Negotiations for the sale of the land had been going on since late March.

Two women, aged 61 and 47, believed to be the temple trustees and partial owners of the land, were detained by city police on Monday afternoon in the temple compound.

Both the women were also in the temple compound when Hussein was gunned down by a hitman.

Police believe the two women played an integral part in negotiating the land deal.
City CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said the duo are expected to shed more light into the high-profile case.

”We believe the murder may have been caused by the land deal going sour,” he said.

He said Hussain (pic at right) was not a buyer and was merely overseeing the deal as an observer or adviser as his wife, Cheong Mei Kuan, was a regular visitor to the temple.

Hussain and Cheong had met with a man over the land deal on July 29. After the meeting, they spent a few minutes in the temple before walking to the carpark. He was gunned down by the killer, who was waiting for him there.

Ku said the man the couple met was apparently interested to buy another piece of land nearby, which also belongs to the temple.

Police have recorded the statement of a man who claims to be a Datuk.

Police reaffirmed that the hitman was believed to be paid about RM20,000.

Ku said police had detained a 42-year-old man on Monday, who was believed to be with the shooter during the incident.

Police had gone to his house at an undisclosed location in Selangor but he was not there. However, he surrendered himself at the KL police headquarters at 10pm.

”We have begun interrogations. We have detained him as he was with the shooter during the incident and is also wanted for a cheating case,” he said.

Police have also established the identity of the shooter — Kong Swee Kwan, 44 (police showing photo of Kong at left), — who  has two criminal records for possession of stolen goods and extortion.

Ku issued a warning to the shooter, saying, “you better surrender”.

The remand order on the taxi driver who was detained a day after the shooting has been extended by another week.