Two men charged with laundering RM10.3mil

SEREMBAN: Two men were charged at the Sessions Court here on Wednesday with 11 counts of money laundering involving more than RM10.3mil.

The first of the two - 44-year-old Nor Hazaini Yahya - claimed trial to seven counts of money laundering involving RM8,933,229.76.

He allegedly obtained the proceeds of unlawful activities at four locations in Seremban and Nilai between Aug 8, 2014 and Jan 29, 2015.

In applications for bail, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Ashikin Mokhtar asked for bail to be set at RM800,000 on all charges and requested the case to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for it to be heard together with other cases involving the accused.

This was challenged by Nor Hazaini's lawyers Mohd Harris Abdullah and Mohd Faizi Che Abu who said a minimum bail should be set as their client was supporting two children and a wife, adding that his assets were all frozen.

Judge Fathiyah Idris set bail at RM8,000 with one surety for all charges and ordered the case to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.

Meanwhile at another Sessions Court here, 40-year-old Mohamad Najib Kamis was charged with four counts of money laundering involving RM1,374,499.66.

The offences were allegedly committed at two locations here and in Nilai between Nov 4, 2014 and Jan 30, 2015.

Nor Ashikin, - who also prosecuted in the case - requested bail at RM400,000 for all charges, but Mohamad Najib's lawyer Datuk Hanif Hassan requested for a lower bail to be set.

Judge G Ramesh set bail at RM30,000 with one surety for all charges and also ordered Mohamad Najib to surrender his passport to the court.

The court set May 12 for mention.

The charges against the two men were made under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

If found guilty, the two can face a maximum 15-year jail sentence and a fine of not less than five times the sum of the proceeds from unlawful activities upon conviction. - Bernama