KUALA LUMPUR: An assistant manager of a luxury watch shop claimed trial at the Sessions Courts to 44 charges of receiving and transferring money from illegal activities involving a loss of RM1.7mil.
Miki Oshiro, 36, pleaded not guilty after all the charges against him were read out in three separate courts before judges Izralizam Sanusi, Azrul Darus and Norma Ismail.
According to the first to 44th charges, the local man was accused of having received a total of RM1.7mil from a 61-year-old female customer and then transferred money from illegal activities totaling RM628,499 from his savings account to the bank accounts of several other individuals and companies.
The offences were allegedly committed at two banks in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, between Oct 5, 2024 and Jan 3, 2025.
Oshiro was charged under Paragraph 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 [Act 613] which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the proceeds of illegal activities or instrumentalities of the offence at the time the offence was committed or RM5mil, whichever is higher, if convicted.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Izham Mohd Marzuki offered bail of RM15,000 in one surety for each of the cases.
He also sought the court to impose additional conditions that the accused was prohibited from interfering with prosecution witnesses and to report his attendance once a month to the Bukit Aman Money Laundering Criminal Investigation Division (AMLA) until the disposal of the case.
"The accused has no risk of absconding because his passport has been kept by the court for the offences he was previously accused of and I request the court to also take into account the fact that the offence committed has an impact on the country's economy and banking system," he said.
Oshiro's lawyer S. Narasimhan asked for a lower bail amount, saying that his client was not a flight risk and was still supporting his elderly mother.
The court fixed bail at RM105,000 in one surety for all the cases.
Oshiro was ordered to report to Bukit Aman AMLA Criminal Investigation Division once a month.
The case is set for mention on Feb 27.
On Feb 21, 2025, Oshiro and another individual were charged in two Sessions Courts and the Magistrate's Court here on five counts of defrauding four individuals in the sale of luxury watches worth more than RM2mil.
