TAWAU: A 31-year-old housewife pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here Thursday to five counts of receiving more than RM1.3 million, believed to be proceeds from illegal activities related to a gold investment scheme.
Norhafiza Abbas entered her plea after the charges were read before Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya through a court interpreter.
She was charged with four counts of receiving proceeds from unlawful activities, amounting to RM1,288,823.50, through a Maybank Islamic Berhad account belonging to Abbas Family Enterprise (AFE).
She is also charged with receiving RM23,500 in proceeds from unlawful activities through her Maybank account.
The money was allegedly received from a Maybank Islamic Berhad account and a Public Islamic Bank Berhad account belonging to Zerina Collection between May 20, 2023, and July 18, 2023, in Tawau.
The charges, framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613), are punishable under Section 4(1) of the law.
She faces imprisonment for up to 125 years, a fine of not less than five times the amount or proceeds of the illegal activity or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The court allowed Norhafiza bail of RM5,000 with one surety for each charge and set Dec 2 for mention.
The prosecution initially sought RM30,000 bail per charge, but Norhafiza, breaking down in tears, appealed for a reduction.
She told the court she is merely a housewife whose bank accounts have been frozen since 2023, adding that she has been attending court proceedings for three years to face six predicate charges.
She also informed the court that her two children suffer from heart defects and have a medical appointment scheduled for November.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Megat Mahathir Megat Tharih Afendi, while the accused was unrepresented.
