Kota Kinabalu: A 25-year-old man was fined a total of RM500 by the Magistrate’s Court, here, on five counts of failing to explain a cash deposit of RM19,430.93 in his bank account, four years ago.
Md Syafiq Abd Latif pleaded guilty before Magistrate Dzul Elmy Yunus to failing to provide a reasonable explanation as to how he obtained the money deposited into his bank account.
The charges stated that Syafiq was found to have RM550, RM2,043.63, RM3,250, RM6,087.30 and RM7,500, in his Maybank account, respectively on Feb 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, 2021.
Syafiq was ordered to pay a fine of RM100 or seven days in jail for each of the charges.
The offence under Section 22A(1) of the Minor Offences Ordinance provides for a fine of RM100 or up to three months jail or both, on conviction.
Unrepresented Syafiq asked for a lenient penalty, saying he was from the peninsula and could not afford a high fine.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wildan Firdaus urged for an appropriate sentence.
Earlier, the court heard from the prosecution that the complainant came across an investment advertisement on Facebook and contacted a man named Asman via WhatsApp for details.
After discussions, the complainant became interested in joining an investment package, which promised a return of RM22,300 within five hours for an investment of RM300.
The complainant made staged payments into Syafiq’s Maybank account, believing they were for various fees.
However, when the promised returns failed to materialise and additional payments were requested, the complainant became suspicious and lodged a police report for further investigation.
