Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Banker laid to rest after tearful wife claims body

KUALA LUMPUR: A distraught Cheong Mei Keun was taken by ambulance from Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur to claim the body of her banker husband Hussain Ahmad Najadi at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Cheong, who was on a wheelchair and accompanied by about 10 relatives and friends, broke down when she went to identify her husband’s body at the morgue yesterday.

Hussain’s body was later taken to the Jalan Duta Mosque for prayers before he was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery.

The Arab Malaysian Banking Group founder was shot dead in Lorong Ceylon here on Monday. Cheong, who was with him, was also shot on her arm and leg.

Meanwhile, Najadi’s son Pascal Najadi, who is in Moscow, said he had been advised against returning to Malaysia for security reasons.

He said his security advisers had told him to remain in Russia and he was thus not able to attend his father’s funeral.

At the moment, it is not safe for me in Malaysia as no one, including the police, know who is responsible for this brutal murder,” he said in a phone interview.

Pascal, who holds a British and Swiss passport, said he did not know why his father was killed despite being informed by the police that it could be the result of a property deal that went sour.

I do not know anything about this property deal and hope the police will do everything in their power to catch the killers,” he said.

He thanked everyone who had expressed their condolences to him and his family over the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Najadi’s close friend Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah described the victim as a friendly, courteous and helpful person.

Muhammad Shafee, who had known Najadi for 25 years, said the banker was the first person to donate US$4mil (RM12.9mil) to the International Islamic University’s education fund.

The last time I met him was three weeks ago at a breaking of fast,” he added.

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