Kota Kinabalu: Ten China nationals were each fined RM6,000 by the Magistrate’s Court here for criminal conspiracy to offer an online investment scheme.
Chen Xuanyu, He Miao, Liu Shuai, Xiong Xiaobo, Chao Haohua, Chen Chao, Liu Qingcheng, Xiong Debao, Gong Xiangfu and Han Shoukun, aged between 20 and 40, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Wan Farrah Farriza Wan Ghazali to jointly agreeing on Sept 28, at 1pm at a hotel in Warisan Square here to commit an offence by offering an online investment in contravention of Section 417 of the Penal Code, an offence punishable under Section 120B(1) of the same Code.
The charge carries a jail term of up to six months or fine or both, on conviction.
The 10 were each fined RM6,000 or three months’ jail in default.
Counsel Lim Ming Zoong @ Lawrence, representing all the men, requested a lower fine of RM2,000 each, submitting that they had been remanded for seven days, cooperated with the police and were first offenders.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Noor Hafizah Anggu applied for a deterrent sentence and applied that the men be referred to the Immigration Department to verify their immigration status, citing their expired Special Passes, the prevalence of such cases and public interest.
The court ordered the men to be referred to the Immigration Department.
In a separate case, a jobless man was charged with criminally intimidating his sister by threatening to damage her car.
Wong Choon Kok, 43, pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Dzul Elmy Yunus to intentionally causing criminal intimidation against Wong Su Yee, 51, at 2pm on Aug 27, at a house in Taman Sinar, Jalan Tuaran, here, by threatening to cause damage to her car.
The charge is framed under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both, on conviction.
The court fixed Nov 17 for pre-trial case management and released Wong on RM3,000 bail in two sureties.
He was also ordered not to disturb the prosecution’s witnesses and to report to a police station once a month.
DPP Akash Singh prosecuted.
