KUCHING: A 25-year-old woman was fined RM10,000, in default two months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Tuesday (June 23) after pleading guilty to allowing her bank account to be used in transactions linked to an illegal money lending scam.
Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali imposed the fine on Priscilla Peter, who was charged under Section 424C(1) of the Penal Code.
The offence carries a penalty of imprisonment of between three and 10 years, or a fine ranging from RM10,000 to RM150,000, or both, upon conviction.
According to the charge, she had indirectly engaged in a transaction involving RM13,300 through her BSN account without any lawful purpose between Jan 12 and Jan 20, at an eatery along Jalan Batu 3 here.
The money was traced to transactions involving a 38-year-old victim, who had fallen prey to an illegal online lending syndicate.
Facts of the case revealed that the victim came across advertisements for personal loans on TikTok and Touch ‘n Go on Jan 2 while at a coffee shop along Jalan Batu 3.
Interested in obtaining a loan, he submitted his personal details through the platform before being contacted via WhatsApp by an individual identifying himself as “Kent”, who requested supporting documents, including a copy of his identity card, bank statements, utility bills and business-related information.
The victim subsequently received loan disbursements and continued obtaining loans from several lenders through WhatsApp.
Between January and March this year, he borrowed substantial sums from multiple unlicensed money lenders and made repayments exceeding the amounts borrowed to various bank accounts provided by the lenders.
Investigations found that he had received a total of RM79,525 from one lender known as “Kalvin Ong” and later transferred RM99,025 to four different accounts, including Priscilla’s BSN account.
Police investigations established that Priscilla was the owner of the BSN account involved in the transactions.
A review of her bank statements revealed two deposits of RM6,650 each, made on Jan 12 and Jan 20, amounting to RM13,300.
Further checks confirmed that the funds originated from the victim.
It was understood that Priscilla failed to provide a reasonable explanation as to how the money entered her account and was subsequently withdrawn.
She admitted to having provided her account details to a third party, allegedly for use in the fraudulent scheme.
Based on the evidence gathered, police concluded that she had indirectly participated in transactions involving her payment instrument without a lawful purpose, leading to the charge under Section 424C(1) of the Penal Code.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Aidil Akmal Sharidan. Priscilla was unrepresented.
