Kota Kinabalu: Two women, including a Chinese national, who were recently detained for allegedly being linked to a syndicate posing as “bomoh” (traditional healers) and offering services to remove bad luck and tell fortunes, were charged with conspiring to cheat three women.
Hee Nyin Fung, 48, and Chinese national Li Li, 38, were brought before Sessions Court Judges Monica Linsua and Zaini Fishir, respectively, to face three charges each Friday.
The duo pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
On the first count, Hee and Li are accused of being parties to a criminal conspiracy to cheat a 47-year-old woman at Menggatal Town Market here at 8am on Feb 3 this year.
They allegedly committed the offence in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, contrary to Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The offence, punishable under Section 120B(1) of the same Code, carries a jail term of between one and 10 years and whipping, and may also be liable to a fine upon conviction.
On the second count, the duo allegedly committed the same offence against a 51-year-old woman at 7.30am on Feb 4 this year at the Central Market here.
On the third count, they are accused of committing the conspiracy against a 69-year-old woman at 11.30am on July 19 this year at the weekly Tamu Gaya Street here.
The court set Oct 1 for pre-trial case management and released the duo on bail of RM5,000, with RM2,000 deposited for each charge.
They were also ordered to report to the nearest police station once a month, surrender their international passports to the court and were reminded not to harass any prosecution witnesses.
The prosecution had offered bail of RM10,000 to Hee with several conditions but objected to bail for Li as she holds a Chinese passport.
Counsel Batholomew Jingulam, who defended Hee, requested that the bail sum be reduced as his client was looking after her mother, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Meanwhile, counsel Muhamad Amirul Amin, who represented Li, asked for bail to be granted, saying his client had been in the State for almost eight years and was one of the directors of a Malaysia-registered company based in Sabah.
Amirul also told the court that Li, a single mother, has two children aged 12 and 15, with the eldest attending a secondary school here.
He said Li would not abscond and that her friends who were present in court would act as her sureties.
Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPPs) Nurul Shafeerah Mad Iskim and Mohd Fadzri Azham Zainudin appeared for the prosecution.
