KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — A businessman from North Korea was denied bail by the Magistrates’ Court here today, pending hearing of his extradition proceedings to United States (US).
The US had requested the Malaysian government to extradite Mun Chol-myong, 54, to the US to face alleged money laundering charges.
Magistrate Noorashikin Sahat dismissed Mun’s application to be released on bail pending hearing of the extradition proceedings, saying that there was a high chance that he would abscond.
Mun was detained by Malaysian authorities on May 14 and was subsequently remanded for 60 days pending the hearing of the government’s application to extradite him to the US to face alleged money laundering charges.
The remand order will expire on July 14 and the court set July 4 for case management.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Faizul Aswad Masr said as the case was under extradition proceedings, the respondent (Mun) should not be given bail.
“As the case has to do with international matters, unlike normal criminal courts, which give the respondent the right to bail,” he said.
Lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh who represented Mun argued that his client was arrested under a provisional warrant of arrest which only gives authorities rights to detain individuals temporarily.
It was learned that Mun has lived in Malaysia for about 10 years with his wife and two daughters under the MMH2 (Malaysia My Second Home) programme.
Following the request by the US authority to extradite him to face charges in the country, an arrest was made on Mun on May 13. — Bernama
