KUCHING: The Sessions Court fined a 61-year-old man RM75,000, in default four years’ imprisonment today (Apr 8) for carrying out an illegal transaction involving RM200,000 belonging to Bank Pertanian Malaysia Berhad (Agrobank).
Albert Chung Swee Hee pleaded guilty to the charge before Judge Iris Awen Jon.
He was charged under Section 424(1) of the Penal Code, which criminalises unlawful transactions involving bank accounts or payment instruments. The provision targets “mule accounts” and penalises individuals who facilitate scams by allowing their accounts to be used.
Upon conviction, the offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM150,000, or both.
Chung committed the offence on Nov 3, 2025, at a bank near Jalan Pending, where he illegally transferred RM200,000 into his personal account.
In a separate proceeding, 28-year-old Chong Huat Nyeap was fined RM70,000, in default four years’ imprisonment.
He also pleaded guilty before Sessions Court Judge Musli Ab Hamid to a charge under Section 424(1) of the Penal Code.
Chong committed the offence on Nov 3, 2025, at a bank near Jalan Lapangan Terbang, where he similarly transferred RM200,000 belonging to Agrobank into his personal bank account.
The facts of the case revealed that the complainant received information from the Corporate Channel Operations Department regarding several suspicious transactions conducted via a payment platform, prompting a police report.
Further checks by Agrobank found that the illegal transactions had been taking place from Oct 28 to Nov 3, 2025.
This information was recorded in a second police report, which involved a total of RM200 million that had been unlawfully transferred into several local bank accounts.
Subsequent police investigations revealed discrepancies between transaction records in Agrobank’s system and those in the retail platform. A digital forensic inspection indicated that the bank’s system had been compromised, allowing unauthorised fund transfer instructions to be executed.
Investigations further showed that on Nov 3, 2025, RM200,000 each was credited into Chung’s and Chong’s personal bank accounts.
Both men were arrested on Nov 21, 2025.
During police questioning, Chung stated that he had provided his bank account to an individual known as “Johnny Leong” to facilitate the transfer of funds from a company account controlled by the perpetrators into his account for withdrawal.
Similarly, Chong said he had provided his bank account to a man known as “Jack” for the same purpose.
Investigations established that both Chung and Chong had received and managed RM200,000 each in their respective accounts unlawfully.
They were therefore charged under Section 424C(1) of the Penal Code.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Shukor Abu Bakar from the Commercial Crime and Cyber Unit Prosecution Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in Putrajaya, while Chung and Chong were represented by defence counsel Russell Lim and Lai Eddy.
