KUCHING: A 34-year-old man was charged at the Sessions Court here today for allegedly cheating a man out of RM26,000 by falsely offering assistance to secure the release of a Chinese national woman detained by the Immigration Department.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty before Judge Iris Awen Jon after the charge was read to him.
His charge was framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than 10 years, whipping, and a fine upon conviction.
According to the charge, he allegedly cheated the 36-year-old complainant by dishonestly inducing him to transfer RM26,000 into an Alliance Bank account on September 29, 2025, at about 1:00 pm at a cafe near Lorong Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.
The prosecution alleged that the accused deceived the victim by claiming that he was able to assist in securing the release of a Chinese national woman from the custody of the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
The court allowed bail at RM20,000 with two local sureties, which was deposited.
Judge Iris also imposed additional conditions requiring the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and surrender his passport to the court pending disposal of the case.
The matter has been fixed for pre-trial case management on July 14.
Deputy Public Prosecutor, Chuah Kai Sheng, appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by lawyers, Gabriel Koo, Chiam Xin Yuen and Tim Low.
