KULIM: Forty-nine people were charged in the magistrate's court today with carrying out online scam activities.
Eight Malaysian men pleaded guilty, while the remaining accused, who are Indian and Pakistani nationals, including seven women, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before magistrate Nur Hamizah Mat Shah.
According to the charge, all 49 were jointly charged with carrying out online scam activities at five premises on Jalan Lebuh Bandar, Bandar Putra at 8pm on Oct 9.
They were charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 120B(1) of the same code, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
The offence carries a maximum jail term of five years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The eight accused who pleaded guilty – Lee Jian, 29; Franky Ooi Zhen Yang, 26; Tan Ka Kien, 35; Lee Wai Yean, 30; Loh Seng Huang, 26; Lee Yi Chyn, 37; Low Kuan How, 41; and Chew Joo Hock, 51 – were each fined RM5,000.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Ain Fadilla Muhammad Fauzi, while all the accused were represented by lawyer Kenny Tan Cheng Yee.
The magistrate set Nov 24 for the next mention of the cases involving the foreigners who pleaded not guilty. No bail was offered.
Meanwhile, in the same court, Lee Jian, Loh and Chew were also charged with allowing 17 undocumented immigrants to stay at the same premises on the same date and at the same time.
However, all three pleaded not guilty to the charge under Section 55E(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, punishable under Section 55E(2) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
If convicted, each accused faces a fine of between RM5,000 and RM30,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both, for each undocumented immigrant found on the premises.
The court granted bail of RM8,000 for each accused and set Jan 18 next year for mention.
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