BALIK PULAU: Nine Chinese nationals pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate's Court here today to a charge of participating in a criminal conspiracy linked to a "love scam" syndicate earlier this month.
They are Ye Binyu, 32; Yang Jie, 34; Xiang Hanghang, 33; Lin Zhixu, 30; Zhang Peng, 30; Huang Shihong, 31; Tan Qiao, 22; Tan Bo, 26; and Li Mingrui, 27.
They entered their pleas before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting after the charge was read out to them in Mandarin.
The nine were jointly charged with having a common intention to commit an unlawful act by conspiring to deceive victims through a love scam.
The offence was allegedly committed at a unit in Muze PICC Condominium, Persiaran Mahsuri, Sungai Nibong Kecil, Bayan Lepas, at about 6.10 pm on July 1.
The charge, framed under Section 120B(1) of the Penal Code, carries a prison sentence of between one and 10 years, whipping and a possible fine upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ikmal Affendi Zulkifly proposed bail of RM10,000 for each accused with two local sureties. He also requested that they report to a police station once a month and surrender their passports to the court pending disposal of the case.
Counsel Ahmad Luthfillah Hadi Ahmad, representing all the accused, appealed for a lower bail amount, submitting that his clients had entered Malaysia as tourists and were employed in China, earning monthly salaries ranging from RM1,800 to RM3,000.
He said they had no family members in Malaysia to assist with posting bail but were prepared to provide two Malaysian sureties and surrender their passports to the court.
The court granted bail of RM8,000 each with two Malaysian sureties and ordered the accused to report to the Sungai Nibong Police Station every Thursday. They were also required to surrender their passports to the court.
The court fixed Aug 27 for mention.
