KUALA LUMPUR: Cases of embezzlement involving lawyers are on the rise, as seen in Bukit Aman statistics.
There have been 22 criminal breach of trust (CBT) cases so far this year with losses amounting to RM19mil, said Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf.
In comparison, 31 CBT cases involving lawyers which resulted in RM35.9mil in losses were recorded last year.
“We believe the cases will continue to rise this year,” he told a press conference at the CCID headquarters yesterday.
Comm Ramli said the cases ranged from property purchases to payment for legal proceedings.
He cited the case of a 60-year-old company director who lodged a report in Sungai Buloh on May 15, having lost RM3.2mil through CBT.
“He had hired a lawyer with a Datuk title to file a civil suit against a financial institution in July last year. He paid RM3.7mil in legal fees to the law firm,” he said.About three months ago, the company director, however, instructed the lawyer to withdraw the civil suit and asked for a refund of the legal fees.
“The lawyer told him that a service charge of RM521,498.60 would be imposed so that only RM3.2mil would be refunded,” he said.
Comm Ramli said the man agreed to the terms but had yet to receive the refund until now, adding that police are investigating the matter.
In another case, he said a 53-year-old company director in Petaling Jaya lost about RM4.8mil over a property deal.
“He had signed an agreement to purchase a piece of land in Plentong, Johor, in June 2018, and proceeded to deposit RM4.8mil into a bank account belonging to a law firm hired by the seller,” said Comm Ramli, adding that the deal, however, did not go through, as it also involved a court proceeding.
“During the proceeding in January (this year), the court discovered that the RM4.8mil had been spent by the law firm via 100 cheques and bank drafts,” he said.
On a separate matter, Comm Ramli said three Malaysian men and a Vietnamese woman were detained following a raid on an Ah Long operation centre in Rawang, Selangor.
He said the suspects, aged between 22 and 34, were detained in a house used by the syndicate on May 14.
“We seized items including seven mobile phones, two ATM cards and RM5,650 cash,” he said.
He said the investigation showed that the Ah Long syndicate has been operating since February.“The three men detained were hired as agents to look for customers on social media sites. They would also meet prospective clients in person,” he said.
The amount of interest imposed on the loans ranged from 10% to 12%, he said.
“We believe the syndicate raked in RM200,000 in profits monthly,” he said.
