On Feb 27, 2019, Cheah Chyuan Yong, 39, pleaded not guilty in the Magistrates’ Court to the charge of extorting Jeffrey by threatening to make public a letter from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The offence was allegedly committed with the aim of prompting Jeffrey to hand over a sum of money to Beh Chun Chuan and to settle all the accused’s debt with Sunway Leasing Sdn Bhd totalling RM5 million.

Chyuan Yong was alleged to have committed the offence at the Sunway Pyramid shopping mall here on Oct 12, 2018.

He was charged under Section 385 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years, with a fine or whipping, or with any two of such punishments, upon conviction.

Lawyer Hazizah Kassim, representing Chyuan Yong, told Bernama the Magistrates’ Court had on June 16 ordered the accused to be discharged not amounting to an acquittal after the defence applied for a release order.

This was after Jeffrey, who was the prosecution witness and complainant in the case, failed to present himself to testify in the trial.

“On Aug 4, we wrote to the attorney-general asking for the accused to be acquitted and discharged,” she said.

She said they received a letter from the AGC dated Oct 7, confirming that it would not pursue the case.

The letter was signed by AGC’s head of General Crimes and Public Order Unit, Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim.