G-Gold man hit with 94 graft charges

IPOH: Another director of G-Gold Gallery Sdn Bhd has claimed trial to 94 counts of money laundering involving RM23.3mil.

Daniel Choong Yew Chee, 40, has been accused of the offence after 62-year-old director Khoo Ban Sean Benny was slapped with similar charges last week.

Like Khoo, Choong denied transferring the proceeds of unlawful activities from the company’s bank account to their personal accounts between March 2005 and April 2006 at several places here.

Company director Daniel Choong Yew Chee, 40, leaving the Sessions Court in Ipoh after claiming trial to 94 charges of money laundering on June 23. With him is lawyer Gurbachan Singh.

Choong further denied transferring such money from the company’s bank account to those of Genius Talent Sdn Bhd, Lin Shoon Jewellers Sdn Bhd, P.S. Bullion Sdn Bhd and Top Gold Resources Sdn Bhd.

He is also alleged to have transferred part of the RM23.3mil into the hire purchase accounts of two cars and handed cash to one J. Subramaniam.

The two directors face up to a RM5mil fine or five years’ jail, or both, for each charge under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.

In asking the court to impose the same conditions and bail amount as in the case against Khoo, DPP Budiman Lutfi Mohamed said it was only fair as the charges against the two were similar.

Sessions judge Rasidah Chik set bail at RM1mil in one surety and ordered that Choong’s passport be surrendered to the court pending mention on July 16.

Defence counsel Gurbachan Singh told the court that Choong and Khoo would be applying for their passports to be temporarily released, as they had to attend to business in Australia tomorrow. “They will be back next Monday,” he added.

The two are expected to be charged with at least another 290 similar offences in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court tomorrow before they leave for Australia later in the day.