KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — All seven people charged over the high-profile murder of a businesswoman in Taman OUG here last year have been acquitted.

According to the Star Online news portal, High Court judge Justice Azman Abdullah ruled that the prosecution failed to show prima facie in the case and released all seven accused without calling for their defence.

Azman added that the prosecution failed to demonstrate common intent between the two main accused — M. Pal Ganapathy, 27 and S. Vijendran, 30 — that was necessary under Section 34 of the Penal Code pertaining to the joint commission of crimes.

"From the CCTV footage, the licence plate of a motorcycle ridden by two men could not be distinguished as well as their looks as they wore full face helmets,” he was quoted as saying.

Ganapathy and Vijendran were charged with murder over the fatal shooting of Datin Wong Siew Ling in broad daylight last year.

Five others — K. Sri Kanapathy, 35; Chen Yuen Ming, 42; Chin Kok Leong, 45; K. Sattiyarao, 30; and Liew Lai Chen, 48 — were prosecuted for abetting the two men in the crime.

In the incident that was captured by surveillance cameras, two men on a motorcycle gunned down Wong in her vehicle and critically-wounded her then-eight-year-old daughter.

DPP Aznika Mohd Anas prosecuted the case while the seven accused were represented by Vijey Esvaren, Loh Suk Hwa, Nur Hayati Omar, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, Datuk N. Sivananthan, Low Huey Theng, Datin Freda Sabapathy, Datuk Simon Sabapathy and M. Raja.