Judge Azrul Darus imposed the sentence on Hafiz Abdul Halim, 36, after he pleaded guilty to three charges related to a scam.
The court ordered the accused to serve one year in prison on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently from the date he was charged in court on Dec 19, 2023.
Hafiz was accused of aiding in concealing RM3.92 million belonging to Ecuadorian company, Energy Think Tank, knowing full well it did not belong to him, at CIMB Bank, Wisma Genting, Jalan Sultan Ismail here, on March 6, 8 and 12, 2018.
He was charged with dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment, under Section 424 of the Penal Code, which provides a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Based on the facts of the case, in 2018, Energy Think Tank supposedly entered into a transaction with Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan through email for the purchase of electric generator machine spare parts.
Energy Think Tank received an invoice from “Yurina Kobayashi”, demanding payment of US$1.02 million into the CIMB Bank account of Mitsubi World Industry.
Energy Think Tank paid the sum in three tranches, but felt deceived when Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan denied issuing such an invoice, and that it had no employee named Yurina Kobayashi.
Investigations revealed that the account was opened at CIMB Bank, Wisma Genting, under Mitsubi World Industry with the accused as the sole owner, after an unidentified woman told him to register the company online with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
The accused handed over the bank card, PIN and cheque book to the woman, after which he was instructed to withdraw cash three times to be handed over to a Nigerian man. He was later told to close the account.
Hafiz’s lawyer, Maidzatul Akmal Daud, from the National Legal Aid Foundation, appealed for a lenient sentence, stating his client had repented and that he was supporting his spouse, who is a housewife, and a disabled child.
However, deputy public prosecutor Amir Hannif Ahijman requested for a deterrent sentence considering the three charges and loss of RM4 million, emphasising the need to send a message to the accused and the public to refrain from getting involved in such scams.