KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Chai Kee Kan, the founder and executive chairman of the KK Mart Group, alongside his wife Datin Seri Loh Siew Mui, who serves as a company director, are gearing up to submit a representation letter to the Attorney-General's Chambers regarding the charges related to socks bearing the word "Allah."

Their defence counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh said he was instructed by his clients to file in the representation letter and will do so in a week or two after studying documents that they would be receiving from the prosecution today. 

"We have a month to do so before pre-trial case management on June 10. We want to study the documents that are handed over to us first and the best avenue to resolve the matter before preparing the representation letter.

"We have not decided what would be in the representation letter, whether to withdraw the charges, make amendments or alternative charges. We are unsure at this point," he said after the case's mention proceedings before judge Muhamad Anas Mahadzir today. 

Rajpal added he would also be speaking to Lau Yi Leong, the counsel representing the socks supplier company, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd and its three directors who were also charged, on matters related to the representation letter.

Representation is usually carried out to apply for a retraction or to lower or lessen the charge brought against an accused.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Khairul Azreem Mamat told the court that the prosecution would be handing over the necessary documents to the defence. 

He also applied for all cases to go to trial together under Section 170 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Both defence counsels did not object to it and judge Muhamad Anas allowed the application. 

All of the accused stood in the dock together when their cases were called while the courtroom gallery was packed with their family members and friends. 

The court set June 10 for case management and the status of the representation.

On March 26, the couple, along with their company, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd, claimed trial to intentionally wounding the religious feelings of Muslims by displaying the socks at its Bandar Sunway outlet. 

They had committed the offences as company directors at the outlet on March 13 at 6.30am. 

In the same court on the same day, Xin Jian Chang, the Batu Pahat-based company which allegedly supplied the socks as well as its three directors were separately charged with conspiring to intentionally wound the religious sensitivities of Muslims.

The company, its directors, Soh Chin Huat, 61, his wife, Goh Li Huay, 62, and their daughter Soh Hui San, 36, were separately charged under Section 109 of the same code for the offences committed at the same date, time and place. 

On March 13, social media was abuzz after images showing a pair of socks bearing the word "Allah" allegedly being sold at the outlet.

The incident triggered a frenzied reaction among various quarters, with some calling for a boycott of the stores.

On March 16, Chai made a public apology for the mistake made in his 23 years in the business, saying he could not accept the sales of socks bearing the word "Allah", what more to print such products. 

Soh said the socks were obtained in bundle from China and it arrived in a batch of 1,200 pairs at their facility in Batu Pahat, Johor last year.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/04/1044040/kk-mart-founder-wife-plan-send-representation-letter-agc-over