Antiques dealer, friend let off with RM15,000 fine for stealing Buddha statue
By Opalyn Mok
The Malay Mail Online26 December 2017
Lim Su-Quinn (in grey), 29 and Lim Keng Liang (front, in white), 37 are escorted by police officers to the lock up after they were charged with stealing a Buddha statue at the Malaysian Buddhist Association building in George Town December 26, 2017. ― PMore
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 26 — Lim Keng Liang, 37, and Lim Su-Quinn, 29, pleaded guilty today to stealing a foot-long statue of the reclining Buddha two weeks ago.
Keng Liang, an antiques dealer and his female friend Su-Quinn were fined RM7,500 each by Magistrate Qasiratul Jannah Usmani Othman, after they were charged with committing the crime at the Penang Buddhist Association prayer hall at Jalan Anson here at about 8.30am on December 11.
However, they are liable to be jailed 12 months if they fail to pay the fine.
They could have been imprisoned immediately as Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft carries a jail term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both.
Keng Liang and Su-Quinn were represented by R. Puran and Jefferey Ooi Ping Hong respectively.
“My client works as an executive in a large corporation and this is her first offence. She has also extended full cooperation to the police in this case and led the police to the other accused,” Ooi told the court during mitigation.
Both defence lawyers said their clients had saved the court’s time by admitting to the theft.
Puran told the court that Keng Liang was only a helper at his father’s antique shop and that he had repented.
“He has voiced his intention to conduct special prayers at the temple as a sign of his repentance for stealing the statue,” Puran said.
Deputy public prosecutor Atiqah Abdul Karim asked for a deterrent sentence as the case was of public interest especially as the theft happened at a place of worship.
Keng Liang and Su-Quinn were arrested on December 22.
The duo’s theft of the statue was captured on the Penang Buddhist Association’s closed circuit camera, which was later circulated on the internet. The theft was discovered two days’ later.
Police were able to trace the duo based on the CCTV recording as Su-Quinn was wearing her company uniform when committing the theft with Keng Liang.
The reclining Buddha statue is believed to be over 90 years old.
