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By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Aug 16: A man from Perak was RM3,000 or three months’ imprisonment by the Magistrate’s Court here today for possessing illicitly obtained funds amounting to RM18,180 in his bank account.
Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi imposed the sentence on Wong Yeak Jun, 28, after he pleaded guilty under Section 37(1) of the Sarawak Minor Offences Ordinance 1958, which carries a punishment of three months’ imprisonment or a RM500 fine.
The accused was charged with committing the offense at a premises in Tabuan Stutong Commercial Centre here between January 28, 2023 and March 17, 2023.
Based on the case’s details, the owner of the money, which is the complainant, had taken out a loan with a purported company after expressing interest in an advertisement on Facebook, disclosing his personal information for that purpose.
After borrowing and repaying the loan amount, the complainant frequently received WhatsApp messages from different individuals regarding personal loans.
The complainant, who happened to be facing financial difficulties, resorted to online loans, leading to an accumulated sum of approximately RM227,007.80 being deposited into his account.
Furthermore, the complainant had made staggered repayments to several different accounts, resulting in a total of RM312,936.72 being paid back.
Subsequently, the complainant found himself unable to keep up with the mounting debt, especially considering the escalating interest imposed if payments were not made.
As a result, the complainant started receiving threatening messages from various phone numbers, indicating intentions to come to his residence and set it ablaze.
Feeling concerned and threatened by these messages, the complainant decided to report the matter to the police.
Following investigations, it was revealed that one of the bank accounts receiving the complainant’s funds was registered under the accused’s name. The accused, however, failed to provide a reasonable explanation for the presence of these funds in his account.
It was understood that the accused informed the police that he had handed over his bank ATM card to a third party.
Prosecution was carried out by Inspector Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Illin, while the accused was unrepresented by legal counsel. — DayakDaily
