Company director in Malaysia charged for money laundering and false claims

An electrical and home appliances supply company director in Malaysia was charged in three separate Sessions Courts yesterday, Bernama reports. Datuk K. Jayakumar, aged 43, was charged with 43 counts of money-laundering and 75 counts of false claims amounting to RM16.5 million and RM20.7 million, respectively.

However, he had pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out to him before judges Allaudeen Ismail, Azura Alwi and Madihah Harullah.

He was alleged to have transferred the RM16.5 million, which were proceeds from unlawful activities, from the Maybank account of SMT Rezeki Sdn Bhd into Sinar Mentari Technology Sdn Bhd’s Maybank account.

He was said to have committed the offences at Jalan 13/48A, Sentul Raya Boulevard in Sentul between May 2015 and Jan 2016.

Jayakumar was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001, read together with Section 87(1) of the Act which provides for a jail term of up to 15 years and fine not less than five times the value of proceeds, or RM5 million upon conviction.

As for the 75 false claim charges, he was alleged to have submitted invoice documents under TTD Solutions Sdn Bhd amounting to RM20.7 million, which contained false details on the supply of two smartphone models with the aim of misleading the principal agent, prompting Koperasi Telekom Malaysia Berhad (Kotamas) to make the payment.

The offences were alleged to have been committed at the Kotamas office in Wisma Kotamas, Jalan Datuk Haji Eusoff, Kompleks Damai between June and December 2015.

The charges under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2) of the Act were read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code which provides for a fine of five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000; whichever is higher, and imprisonment not exceeding 20 years upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurdihana Rosdi from the MACC prosecuted while Jayakumar was represented by counsel Datuk K. Kumaraendran.

The courts set bail at RM600,000 in one surety, pending mention on 2 March.

Photo / 123RF