Crime & Courts

Salesman claims trial to money laundering involving RM1.2 million

BUTTERWORTH: A salesman was charged at the Sessions Court here today with nine counts of money laundering involving RM1,206,649.18.

Choo Peng Hoong, 41, claimed trial to all charges read to him by the court interpreter in Mandarin before judge Noor Aini Yusof.

According to the charges, Choo, as director of Choo Marketing Bhd, had transferred the money, believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, in nine transactions between March 12 and March 20, 2020.

The transactions, between RM67,668 and RM405,025 per transaction, were made at a bank in the Prai industrial area in Jalan Chain Ferry, Taman Inderawasih, here. The money allegedly went to the accounts of five individuals and four companies.

The charges were framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, read together with Sub-Section 87(1) of the same act.

The offence carries up to 15 years' jail and a fine of at least five times the sum obtained from money laundering or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

According to the facts of the case, the complainant, an officer at the bank's Fraud Management Department, had reportedly traced several dubious online credit card transactions from the said company.

All the transactions went into the account of Choo Marketing Bhd from abroad. A representative from that overseas bank had said all the transactions were false.

Deputy public prosecutor Noor Zalizan Lazarous asked the court to set bail at RM100,000 with two sureties and for the accused to surrender his passport to the court.

Noor Zalizan asked that the accused be required to report himself to the nearest police station every month until the disposal of the case.

Choo's counsel, Y. Anbananthan, appealed for reduced bail as his client was a single man working as a salesman and earned about RM3,500 a month.

Anbananthan said his client had to support his mother, who needed to undergo dialysis three times a week.

Noor Aini set bail at RM54,000 and allowed the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.

She set April 28 for mention, pending submission of documents.

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