Suhaiil Nasiruddin, 42, and his brother, U’rwah, 33, both sons of the GISBH chief executive officer, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out to them before magistrate Fakhrul Razzi Abd Hamid.

According to the charge, the brothers are accused of wrongfully confining Ikhlas Asy Syuhaimi Ismail, 35, for a month at the Ikhwan supermarket workers’ hostel in Bandar Seri Manjung between November and December 2020.

The charge, framed under Section 344 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code, carries a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Nuranisah Ismah Husaini offered bail of RM8,000 for each accused.

However, lawyer Nur Shaqira Ibrahim from the National Legal Aid Foundation, representing both accused, appealed for a lower amount, saying they are married, self-employed, without fixed income, and have 10 and 14 children, respectively.

The court then allowed bail of RM3,000 with one surety each and set Dec 17 for mention.