A 43-year-old unemployed woman was fined RM24,000 by the Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to two charges involving the transfer of RM1.1 million belonging to a retiree into her bank account eight years ago.
Judge Muhammad Ilmami Ahmad imposed the fine on Chin Chew Woon after she admitted guilt to both charges. She will face 24 months in prison if she fails to pay the fine.
According to the charges, Chin transferred RM500,000 and RM600,000 belonging to a 66-year-old man into her own bank account at a bank in Brickfields on Dec 26 and 27, 2018.
She was charged under Section 424 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The court heard that the victim had received a call from an individual posing as a police officer, who falsely claimed he was involved in a money laundering investigation.
The victim was then instructed to transfer his RM1.1 million savings into Chin’s account purportedly for investigation purposes. He later realised he had been duped after being unable to contact the caller again.
Investigations found that Chin was the owner of the bank account used to receive the money, but she failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the transactions.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Hakimah Ibrahim urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, taking into account the substantial losses suffered by the victim and the frequency of fraud cases.
She said the sentence should serve as a lesson to Chin and deter her from committing a similar offence in the future.
Chin, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lighter sentence, saying she was unemployed and responsible for supporting her two children, as well as her ailing mother and mother-in-law.
