Malaysian-born TVB star Jacquelin Ch'ng claims innocence in suspected fraud case

TVB star Jacquelin Ch'ng claims that she herself was a victim in the alleged fraud case involving JPEX. Photo: Jacquelin Ch'ng/Weibo

Hong Kong-based Malaysian actress Jacquelin Ch'ng recently found herself entangled in a suspected fraud case involving a cryptocurrency trading platform.

The probe into the trading platform's alleged fraud began after the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission on Sept 13 alerted police that it was operating in Hong Kong without a license.

According to South China Morning Post, the trading platform – JPEX – stated on Sunday (Sept 17) that it was "being treated unfairly" and that it would halt new trades while existing ones would remain effective until they matured.

The report added that police on Monday received complaints from 1,641 investors, involving HK$1.19bil (RM713.2mil) in assets.

According to reports, Ch'ng, 43, got implicated in the case after she apparently took down an old video in which she talked about using JPEX to invest in cryptocurrency.

In a recent interview with the media, the TVB star claimed that she was "innocent" and that she herself suffered a six-figure loss in the JPEX incident.

"I don't have any direct cooperation with JPEX. It's just another cryptocurrency exchange platform for me. I got to know JPEX through a currency trading store, and I only ever used (JPEX) for trading purposes.

"Of course, it's a problem now that the funds are frozen. I hope this matter will be resolved quickly," she said.

During the interview, Ch'ng also said that she had not reported of her loss to authorities at the time. She had since flown back to Malaysia.

Although several netizens have flooded her recent social media posts with calls for her to "return to Hong Kong and surrender", Ch'ng is seemingly unfazed.

She also told Sing Tao Daily that she won't be responding to the rumours that are "getting out of hand" and will be leaving it to her lawyer to handle.

As for speculations that she was trying to evade investigations by returning to Malaysia, Ch'ng said that she was back in her hometown to celebrate her mother's birthday.

"My phone is always switched on. Reporters and any relevant agencies can contact me if needed," she said.