JOHOR BAHRU: LY Frozen Food Sdn Bhd, its store manager, and its accountant, were discharged and acquitted by the Sessions Court here today on a total of 12 charges of money laundering involving more than RM12 million, between October 2018 and December 2020.
The decision was made by Judge Fatimah Zahari after the prosecution withdrew all charges against the company; store manager, Chong Kim Kuang, 50, and accountant, Ng Yee Xin, 39, after they all paid a compounds totalling RM1.5 million.
However, the same four charges brought against the company’s director, Tan Siew Huak, 44, who is still at large, will continue until further instructions are received from the Attorney General’s Department.
All the accused were charged with receiving proceeds believed to be from money laundering activities four times, amounting to RM13,278,625.27, from a current account belonging to LY Frozen Food from Oct 31, 2018, to Dec 31, 2020, at two different bank branches in Senai, Kulai and Taman Molek, near here.
They were charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
The case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Norazihah Asmuni and Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Mohd Sophian Zakaria, while all the accused were represented by lawyer Zamri Idrus.
Meanwhile, LY Frozen Food company, Chong (store manager) and two company directors, namely Yong Chee Keong, 44, and Tan, are also facing charges of possessing, offering and using fake halal logos and supplying frozen meat without approval, in early December 2020.
In the same proceedings, Zamri requested that the court determine the status of Tan, who was still at large, and the judge set Feb 22 for the prosecution to seek further instructions on the status of the company’s director with regard to the money laundering charges as well as those related to the fake halal logo.
On Dec 2, 2020, the media reported the existence of a cartel that smuggled frozen meat from China, Ukraine, Brazil and Argentina, before repackaging the meat using the halal logo and selling it to markets throughout Malaysia.
The activity was detected following a concerted raid by the authorities at a warehouse in Senai here, involving seizures worth RM6.47 million. – Bernama