Bahau: A site supervisor pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to four charges of receiving nearly RM1.9 million in proceeds from unlawful activities in 2023. Law Tuan Hai, 63, entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Shahrul Rizal Majid.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, under the first three charges, Law allegedly received separate cheques for RM300,000, RM100,000, and RM1.14 million from a company after fraudulently inducing a 49-year-old man to transfer the money into his current account. He allegedly deceived the man into believing that he was selling a plot of land in Rembau despite not being its lawful owner.

The offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Bahau, Jempol, between Dec 5 and 11, 2023. Under the fourth charge, Law allegedly received RM338,000 from a 54-year-old man on Dec 7 the same year for the purported sale of land at the same location.

He was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA) and faced up to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of at least five times the value of the unlawful proceeds or instrumentalities involved, or RM5 million, whichever is higher, if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurliana R. Azmi applied for all four cases to be heard jointly at the George Town Sessions Court in Penang, where the related predicate offence was charged yesterday. The court set bail at RM8,000 for each charge and ordered all cases to be heard at the George Town Sessions Court on Sept 9.