BUTTERWORTH – The sessions court here today sentenced two United Kingdom citizens to six months in jail and fined RM100,000 each for deceiving two individuals in an online international investment scam.
Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah meted out the punishment on Lloyd George Bedwell, 48, and Roger Hoi, 46, after they pleaded guilty to two selected charges read to them in English, and ordered the two to serve their prison sentence from the day of their arrest on February 21.
Both of the accused, together with another man still at large named Jacob Yazdi, allegedly duped Austria duo Trevor Ronald John Curtis and Kimberley John Buist Walker into handing over A$8,991.92 (RM27,000) and A$8,573, with the assurance of receiving big profits from short-term investment via the purchase of shares of a non-existent company, Devon Energy Corporation.
They allegedly committed the scam at Lot 7, Fourth Floor, Island Plaza Tower, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Penang on December 16, 2022 and on January 5, and were charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum jail term of five years or fine or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, Yazdi, who was the manager, ordered the two accused, who were syndicate employees under his supervision, to make phone calls to the victims.
The prosecution was conducted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Akram Gharib, Noor Azura Zulkifli and Afiqa Liyana Rozman while the accused were represented by counsels V. Muniandy and A. Ashok.
Earlier, five British citizens and two Filipinos were among 10 individuals nabbed by MACC in raids conducted in Kuala Lumpur and Penang on February 21 over their involvement in an international investment scam syndicate on money laundering and corruption.
They were detained in Op Tropicana headed by the MACC Anti-Money Laundering Division, which raided 24 locations around Kuala Lumpur and Penang, including three call centre syndicates, two in Kuala Lumpur, and one in Penang. – Bernama, March 17, 2023
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