MY: Gun dealer jailed
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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April 3, 1996
RM6,000 fine for arms sale to Sabah rep
By Muguntan Vanar and Loong Meng Yee
_________________________________________________________________
KOTA KINABALU: Former national shooter Vincent Teo was jailed a total
of three months and fined RM6,000 by the magistrate's court here
yesterday for illegally selling firearms to Sabah trade representative
Datuk Alfred Chin.
The 50-year-old Teo, who pleaded guilty to illegally selling
RM63,342.50 worth of firearms to Chin on three occasions between July
27, 1994, and March 21, 1996, was sentenced to a month's jail and
fined RM2,000 for each of the offences under Section 11(1) of the
Firearms Act, 1960.
Magistrate Anita Harun ordered the jail terms to run concurrently
after Teo, a father of two, pleaded for leniency, saying he had to
look after his parents.
In a related development, three security personnel of Malaysia
Airports Bhd have been issued show-cause letters for allegedly
allowing firearms to be smuggled through the VIP lounge at the
international airport here.
The three were suspended immediately for negligence in carrying out
their duties following the arrest of Chin in Taiwan police on
suspicion of gun-running.
In TAIPEI, CHARLES CHAN reports that Taiwan police are checking out a
list of firearms serial numbers supplied by their Malaysian
counterparts as both sides probed deeper into the case.
According to Taiwanese newspapers, the serial numbers are believed to
be obtained from a licensed gun dealer in Sabah. Police have however
refused to confirm this.
Chin, who has retained local lawyer Tsao Yi-li, is being held at a
detention centre near Taipei pending further investigations.
He made a brief appearance in court on Monday but no trial date has
been fixed yet.
Officials at the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre said they had
very little information about Chin's case except for what appeared in
the newspapers.
Chin had also not responded to offers of help from the centre.
It is learnt that he flew in and out of Taipei regularly in the course
of his work as Sabah's trade representative.
His office in another part of Taipei appeared to be closed yesterday
as all telephone calls went unanswered.
In KUALA LUMPUR, Deputy Home Minister Ong Ka Ting said the Government
would study reports compiled by Taiwan intelligence officers before
deciding if there are grounds to charge Chin in Malaysia for illegal
arms activities.
He said Malaysian authorities needed detailed information on Chin's
arrest and Taiwan's charges against him.
"We will leave the matter to the police because it is still under
investigation," he told reporters at Parliament lobby.
In the Kota Kinabalu court, Teo, a licensed arms dealer since 1980,
admitted to illegally selling firearms at his business premises, Arms
Centre Sdn Bhd, in Bandaran Berjaya.
He sold 19 Glock pistols on July 27, 1994, to Chin, who was not a
holder of a valid arms licence or permit granted under Section 4 of
the Firearms Act.
He also pleaded guilty to selling Chin two Baretta (semi-auto),
12-bore and two Topper single-barrel shotguns on Aug 8, 1994, at the
same business premise on Aug 8, 1994.
The third charge was that he sold Chin two Walther 380 pistols, two
Baretta 84 pistol and four Remington pump-action shotguns on March 21
at the same place.
Senior Federal Counsel Nurchaya Haji Arshad told the court that Chin
was made a member of the board of directors of Arms Centre on Oct 25,
1994, after one of Teo's directors resigned.
She said Teo obtained a licence to export arms and ammunition to three
countries -- Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
She said Chin was never issued a licence to deal with arms and
ammunition.
Nurchaya said police investigations showed that Teo sold arms to Chin
for resale to buyers outside Malaysia despite knowing that Chin was
not a licensed dealer.
Teo had made entries of the sale in the dealer's monthly return of
arms regarding the sale in the name of one Leung Pang whose
residential address was in Hong Kong on all three occasions.
Teo was arrested on March 27.