KUALA LUMPUR: A jobless woman was fined RM24,000 by the Sessions Court here for moving RM1.1mil belonging to a pensioner into her bank account eight years ago.
Chin Chew Woon, 43, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts under Section 424 of the Penal Code for dishonestly removing another person's property here on Friday (Oct 2).
Sessions judge Muhammad Ilmami Ahmad also ordered her to serve 24 months in jail if she fails to pay the fine.
Chin was accused of moving RM500,000 and RM600,000 belonging to the 66-year-old pensioner to her own bank account in Brickfields on Dec 26 and Dec 27, 2018.
Section 424 of the Penal Code provides for a maximum five-year jail term, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The pensioner received a phone call from an individual who claimed to be a police officer and told the victim that he was involved in a money laundering case.
The victim was instructed to transfer the money from his savings into the accused's bank account for "investigative purposes".
After transferring, the victim could not contact the "police officer" to get the money back.
Investigations found that the account owner received the RM1.1mil and failed to give a satisfactory explanation as to why the transactions occurred.
Deputy public prosecutor Anis Hakimah Ibrahim asked the court to consider that the victim suffered heavy losses from the scam and the frequency of such cases happening in the country.
She asked the court to mete out a sentence that would serve as a lesson to the public.
"The prosecution seeks a sentence that would instil remorse in the accused to not repeat the offence," she added.
Chin, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lower fine. She said she was jobless and had to support two children, her mother and ailing mother-in-law.
