SEVEN FINED AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO OFFERING LOANS WITHOUT LICENCE

AYER KEROH, July 2 (Bernama) -- Seven individuals, including a woman, were fined between RM2,000 and RM2,500 by the Ayer Keroh Magistrate's Court here after pleading guilty to offering loans without a licence last month.

The accused, Mah Chung Ming, Pang Xuan Yi, and Celine Tan Yan Yi, were each fined RM2,000, while Gabriel Ng Jia Rong, Lai Kok Peng, and Chong Kok Wei were each fined RM2,500 after pleading guilty to the charge before Magistrate Khairunnisak Hasni.

Khairunnisak also ordered them to serve three months in jail if they failed to pay the fine.

The accused were found to have conspired to commit an offence under Section 29AA of the Moneylenders Act 1951 (Act 400) without a licence.

They were alleged to have committed the offence at a house in Parkland Residence, Jalan Tun Perak, at about 12.40 pm on June 25.

The charge was framed under Section 120B(1) of the Penal Code, read with Section 29AA of the Moneylenders Act 1951 (Act 400), which provides for a maximum prison sentence of two years, a fine not exceeding RM20,000, or both, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Wardah Ishhar pressed for a just sentence to serve as a lesson, highlighting the involvement of the accused in a money-lending syndicate. However, lawyer Umar Zulkarnain, representing all the accused, appealed for leniency, noting that this was their first offence.

On June 27, Melaka police were reported to have busted an 'ah long' (loan shark) syndicate targeting customers in Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Melaka, following the arrest of seven individuals, including a woman, at Jalan Tun Perak on June 25.

Melaka police chief Datuk Zainol Samah said that the seven individuals, aged 18 to 48, were arrested at a condominium unit. They were believed to have offered loans ranging from RM500 to RM5,000 with an interest rate of up to 20 per cent per week.

-- BERNAMA