THE Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has charged four individuals who are also married couples yesterday (Nov 10) and today (Nov 11) with money laundering of more than RM7.2 mil involving unlawful proceeds from unlicensed investment advice activities.
Both couples, Mohamad Afiq Md Isa and Natasha Mohamed Taufek as well as Tan Soon Hin and Teh An See were charged under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA).
Mohamad Afiq, 34, and his wife, Natasha, 34, were charged with money laundering offences involving more than RM1.2 mil which were committed between May 2020 and October 2021.
Mohamad Afiq was charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with eight counts under Section 4(1)(b) of AMLATFPUAA for receiving and transferring proceeds from unlawful activity, namely unlicensed investment advice.
At the material time, Mohamad Afiq is the sole proprietor of Pelham Blue Enterprise (PBE) and a director and shareholder of PBF Resources Sdn Bhd (PBF). PBE and its social media platform, Pelham Blue Fund were included in the SC’s Investor Alert List in 2021.
His wife, Natasha, was charged with one count of receiving proceeds of unlawful activity. Afiq and Natasha claimed trial to all the charges.
Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun granted bail at RM10,000 with one surety to Natasha. Her passport was also ordered to be surrendered to the court.
Separately, the same judge granted bail at RM80,000 with one surety to Mohamad Afiq. Afiq was also ordered to surrender his passport to the court and to report to the sc’s investigating officer on a monthly basis.
Tan Soon Hin and Teh An See
Meanwhile, the SC also charged Tan Soon Hin, 43, and his wife, Teh An See, 43, on Nov 11 with a total of 10 counts of money laundering involving more than RM6 mil between January 2020 and November 2021.
Tan faced five charges under AMLATFPUAA. He was included in the SC’s Investor Alert List in 2019.
Teh who is the sole proprietor of Miracle Fortune Trends Enterprise also faced five charges under the same Act. She is also the sole director as well as shareholder of Fickle Sdn Bhd.
Tan and Teh also claimed trial to all the charges.
Sessions Court judge M. Bakri Abd Majid granted bail at RM400,000 with one surety to Tan while in another court Sessions Court judge Kamarudin Kamsun granted bail at RM500,000 with one surety to Teh.
Both Tan and Teh were ordered to surrender their passports to the court and are required to report to the SC’s Investigating Officer every month.
If convicted, these individuals can be jailed for up to 15 years and fined for not less than five times the sum obtained from money laundering or RM5 mil whichever is higher.
Providing investment advice is a regulated activity that requires a licence under the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007 (CMSA).
“The SC advises investors to exercise vigilance and scepticism in evaluating and deciding on investment opportunities and actions,” the market regulator pointed out. “They should only deal with individuals and entities licensed by the SC to provide investment advice.”
Additionally, investors should also check the SC’s Investor Alert List which is constantly updated to warn investors of suspicious companies or individuals that carry out unlicensed investment activities or scams. – Nov 11, 2022
