SHAH ALAM: Seven individuals, including two women, pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court today to seven charges of money laundering involving their collection and possession of property resulting from illegal gambling activities.

All the accused made the plea after the charge was read out by an interpreter in Mandarin before judge Helina Sulaiman.

According to the charge sheet, businessman Chung Chee Yang, 44 and his wife Lim Lee Cheng, 40, had used a premises to operate gambling machines.

The two were accused of committing the offence in Bandar Botanik, Klang on April 15, 2021.

Chung was also charged along with his wife and mother, Tan Kwee Eng, 65, and four other men with owning six luxury cars as a result of the illegal gambling operation.

The six luxury cars are three Bentleys, a BMW X5, Toyota Alphard and Honda Accord registered under the names of six individuals, namely, Lim, Kwee Eng, Ng Min Lin, 43, Tan Kah Hock, 37, Khor Beng Sin, 68, and Lai Yee Peng, 73.

All seven are accused of committing the offence in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya and Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang on April 16, 2021.

All of them were charged under Subsection 4 (1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Prevention of Financing of Terrorism and Proceeds from Illegal Activities Act 2001 (Act 613), with the offence punishable under Subsection 4 (1) of the same act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

If convicted, they can be imprisoned for up to 15 years and fined not less than five times the amount or value of the proceeds from the illegal activity at the time it was committed or RM5 million, whichever is higher.

Deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong appeared for the prosecution while all the accused were represented by lawyers Aidil Akmal Sharidan, Izzat Dzulkafli and Ahmad Faiz Munawar.

Harris Ong proposed that Chung be given bail of RM100,000 while the other accused, RM50,000 each with one surety and their passports handed over to the court.

Aidil Akmal, however, requested that all the accused be given bail of RM10,000 each with one surety.

Judge Helina allowed all the accused bail of RM20,000 each and to report to the nearest police station every two weeks and to submit their passports to the court while the case will be mentioned on May 31.

The media previously reported that Chung in April last year, was charged in the Klang and Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Courts with assaulting and threatening two of his bodyguards with a pistol.

-- BERNAMA