KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — A married couple and a man facing a kidnapping charge against a Palestinian man, were also charged in the Sessions Court today with money laundering over RM250,000.
Nidarahayu Zainal, 35, who faces 17 charges, while her husband, Raibafie Amdan, 40, and the other man, Tengku Arif Bongsu Tengku Hamid, 40, both with one count each, pleaded not guilty before Judge Mohd Kafli Che Ali.
On the first to the fourth count, Nidarahayu was charged with disposing of RM20,650.86, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, from her CIMB Bank account into another CIMB Bank account and a Maybank Islamic Berhad at the CIMB Bank Taman Maluri Branch along Jalan Perkasa 1, Maluri, between September 15 and October 3, 2022.
She also faces 13 charges of transferring RM184,985.46, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, from her bank savings account into bank accounts belonging to four companies and eight individuals at the same place between September 15 and October 2, 2022.
Raibafie and Tengku Arif Bongsu were charged with receiving proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to RM30,350 and RM25,000, respectively, from two bank accounts belonging to Nidarahayu and a company at the CIMB Bank branches along Jalan Bukit Bintang and in Taman Mutiara, Cheras, between September 29 and October 2, 2022.
The charges are framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which provides imprisonment for up to 15 years and a fine of five times.
The court allowed Nidarahayu RM60,000 bail with one surety for all charges, while Rabafie and Tengku Arif Bongsu’s bail was set at RM20,000 with one surety each.
The trio were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court and to report themselves at the nearest police station monthly.
The court set November 20 for mention.
Deputy public prosecutors Rozaliana Zakaria and Nurul Wahida Jalaluddin prosecuted, while lawyer Goh Kim Lian represented Tengku Arif Bongsu. The married couple was unrepresented.
The three accused were among 13 individuals charged in the Magistrate’s Court here last year with kidnapping a Palestinian man to solicit information on software to hack mobile phones.
— Bernama
