Sugarbook founder remanded for seven days

SHAH ALAM (Bernama): The High Court on Friday (Feb 19) issued a remand order for seven days beginning Thursday (Feb 18) against the founder of ‘Sugarbook’, a sugar daddy dating platform.

The order was issued by judge Datuk Noorin Badaruddin following a review application by the Deputy Public Prosecutors’ Office after its application was rejected by the High Court deputy registrar on Thursday.

Judge Noorin issued the seven-day remand order after the 34-year-old suspect agreed to be held in remand to facilitate investigation under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Lawyers Foong Cheng Leong, T. Shashi Devan and Low Li Qun represented the suspect, while deputy public prosecutors Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and Shukor Abu Bakar prosecuted.

Earlier, Shashi Devan submitted that their client had no objection to the review application and would extend his cooperation to complete the investigation.

"Our client also thinks it is a good platform for him to provide the information needed so that the investigation can be carried out quickly and completely," he said and requested that the suspect would not be handcuffed from the back as he suffered a shoulder injury.

On Thursday, High Court deputy registrar Noorasyikin Sahat, dismissed the application for remand after the Sugarbook founder promised to give his full cooperation to facilitate police investigation in the case.

The suspect, from Minden, Gelugor, in Penang, was arrested two days ago at a condominium in the federal capital.

In August 2022, Sugarbook founder Chan Eu Boon pleaded guilty to a Section 505(b) Penal Code charge over the post “TOP 10 SUGAR BABY UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA” and paid a RM7,000 fine and the arrest warrant was cancelled.

On Monday (Feb 15), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked access to the Sugarbook website for allegedly breaching the law on the use of network facilities or services.

MCMC had said it was monitoring and investigating Sugarbook, and would take action against its users and platform owners should they violate the law.- Bernama