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Doctor charged with laundering RM37 million

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Apr 23, 2004, 9:37:25 PM4/23/04

Doctor charged with laundering RM37 million

By Rosnazura Idrus

A medical doctor, the first person to be charged under the new
Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, was brought before the Sessions Court
today and charged with seven counts of money laundering involving
US$9,763,391.5 (RM37,062,251.65). Dr Hamimah Idruss, 55, who is also a
company director, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Judge Rosenani Abdul Rahman released her on RM800,000 bail in two
sureties and ordered her passports to be surrendered to the court.
Hearing was fixed for Dec 6.

Dr Hamimah, a director of Azam Rahmat Sdn Bhd, is alleged to have
received proceeds from illegal activities believed to have been carried
out overseas.

The activities are believed to be cheating and forgery of documents. She
has yet to be charged on these counts.

Investigations into the money laundering case started on July 15 last
year while investigations into the cheating and forgery activities
started much earlier.

It was also learnt that some promissory notes had been issued and sold
overseas, including in London. Some were bought by Siemens Financial
Services GmbH of Germany which released the payments.

(Siemens Financial Services specialises in providing finance facilities
to members of the medical professions.) The promissory notes and other
supporting documents in the deal were allegedly forged.

The charges against her were that she received: l US$603,784 through her
RHB Bank joint account with her daughter Anis Suryani Safri, at the
bank's branch in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, on June 9 last year; l
US$1,783,000 through Azam Rahmat Sdn Bhd's RHB bank account, at the
bank's Taman Tun Dr Ismail branch between June 3 and 9 last year; l
US$1,250,000 through One Oscar Sdn Bhd's Bumiputra Commerce Bank
account, at the bank's branch in Wisma Cosway, Jalan Raja Chulan, on
June 4 last year; l US$1,250,000 through Megbridge Sdn Bhd's BCB
account, at the bank's branch in Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang on June 4
last year; l US$1,250,000 through D'Oscar Builders Sdn Bhd's BCB
account, at the bank's branch in Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang on June 6
last year; l US$1,250,000 through Meridien Tenggara Sdn Bhd's BCB
account at the Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang branch on June 6 last year;
and, l US$2,376,607.50 through Desa Ikhlas Sdn Bhd's BCB account at
Pusat Bandar Utara Selayang branch on June 6 last year.

The offence under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 is
punishable with a fine up to RM5 million, or jail up to five years, or both.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Dzulkifli Ahmad told the court that Dr Hamimah
was the first person to be charged under the new Act.

The Act, he said, was meant to make dealings with proceeds from illegal
activities an offence.

He said although the offence was non-bailable, the prosecution would not
object if the court used its discretion to grant bail, provided that
consideration be given to the seriousness of the offence, the amount
involved and the fact that it was nonbailable.

He said the appropriate amount of bail was RM1 million in two sureties.

One of the three counsel representing Dr Hamimah, Shahrul Amali Shafie
said the amount suggested by the prosecution was way too high.

He said all of Dr Hamimah's money — personal or those related with the
case — had been frozen by Bank Negara. He suggested that instead of
money, the court could accept a bungalow lot worth RM420,000 as collateral.

He was assisted by Mohd Salleh Sidiq and Wan Mohd Nizar Wan Fauzi.

Dzulkifli, who was assisted by DPP Md Azar Irwan Moh.Arifin, later told
the Press that only RM34 million of the money involved in the case had
been frozen as the rest had been utilised.

Counsel Francis Ng Aik Guan held a watching brief for Siemens Financial
Services GmbH.

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