From RM16,000 to RM600,000: Kuching bank officers face expanded charges over alleged fake investment scheme

KUCHING, Jan 6 — The three bank officers previously charged with cheating a 61-year-old woman out of RM16,000 were produced in the Sessions Court here yesterday to face new charges of cheating three other individuals out of a total of RM600,000.

The trio, a 27-year-old man and two women aged 31 and 54, pleaded not guilty to the three charges framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code.

The Section provides for imprisonment of between one and 10 years, and with whipping and also liable to a fine, upon conviction.

They were charged with cheating the three victims by deceiving them with a non-existent bank investment product, involving amounts of RM300,000, RM200,000, and RM100,000 in October, November and December 2024, respectively.

Later in the same court, the three accused together with another female bank staff claimed trial to another count under the same Section for allegedly deceiving a 54-year-old woman out of RM100,000 in July 2024.

In addition, the 31-year-old female accused pleaded not guilty to two more charges under the same Section, for allegedly cheating a 56-year-old woman out of RM100,000 and a 44-year-old woman out of RM200,000 in November and December 2024, respectively.

Deputy public prosecutors Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid and Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar requested the court to impose a higher bail on all three accused.

However, lawyers Tiong Ing Neng, Patrick Voon and Shemira Adzhaar, representing the accused, asked the court to impose the same bail conditions as in the previous case, namely RM10,000 undeposited bail with one local surety.

“All the facts shows that the three accused have no intention to flee,” said the counsels.

Judge Musli Ab Hamid allowed each accused undeposited bail of RM50,000 with one local surety and fixed Jan 21, 2026 for pre-trial case management.

He also ordered the accused to surrender their passports to the court, and to report to the Sungai Maong police station on the first day of each month until the disposal of the case. — The Borneo Post