Court rejects remand for Sugarbook founder

SHAH ALAM – An application for remand against the founder of “Sugarbook”, a sugar daddy dating platform, was rejected by the high court here today.

Lawyer Foong Cheng Leong, representing the 34-year-old suspect, said high court deputy registrar Noorasyikin Sahat, dismissed the application after his client pledged to give his full cooperation to facilitate police investigation in the case.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani told The Star that police will continue to investigate the matter. Police said they have received 74 reports nationwide in connection with Sugarbook.

Meanwhile, Selangor Criminal Investigation Department head Datuk Fadzil Ahmat said the suspect, from Minden, Gelugor, in Penang, was arrested at 4.30pm yesterday at a condominium in the federal capital.

It is learnt that the police initiated investigations into the dating website after it named 10 public and private universities as having the most students who chose to become “sugar babies” seeking sugar daddies – older and generally well-off men soliciting dates with women, both young and old, through agreements involving gifts or financial transactions – to finance their lifestyles.

Sugarbook is being investigated under four laws, namely Section 505 of the Penal Code (statements conducing to public mischief), Section 372(1)(d) of the Penal Code (exploiting any person for purposes of prostitution), Section 372B of the Penal Code (soliciting for purposes of prostitution) and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (improper use of network facilities or network services).

It was recently reported that Malaysia has the third-highest number of sugar daddies in Asia, behind India and Indonesia, on the app. – Bernama, February 18, 2021