Police detain another ‘Tan Sri' businessman in Penang linked to R3.5b MBI Ponzi scheme, suspected proxy to mastermind
The suspect, the second person to bear a 'Tan Sri' honorific title, was arrested in Penang at about 2am, New Straits Times reported today, citing an anonymous source familiar with the investigation.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department acting director Datuk Muhammed Hasbullah Ali confirmed the arrest, stating that investigations are ongoing.
The 53-year-old is believed to have acted as a proxy for the scheme's mastermind, assisting in laundering illicit proceeds.
'The man had just returned to Malaysia,' the unnamed source told the newspaper, adding that police will seek a remand order against him.
The arrest is part of 'Op Northern Star,' an operation launched on April 18 targeting individuals involved in the MBI scheme.
Earlier phases of the operation led to the arrest of five people, including another 'Tan Sri' and a 'Datuk Seri,' for their alleged roles in the fraudulent activities.
To date, authorities have seized and frozen assets worth RM3.51 billion, including a hotel, durian farms, luxury vehicles, watches, and bank accounts.
The MBI Group International, founded by Malaysian businessman Tedy Teow Wooi Huat, operated a pyramid scheme disguised as a digital coin trading platform called MFC, promoting a virtual currency known as M-Coin.
Launched in Penang in 2012, the scheme expanded to China, Taiwan, Japan, and New Zealand.
By 2017, Malaysian authorities, led by Bank Negara Malaysia, raided MBI's offices, leading to the freezing of hundreds of bank accounts.
The following year, the scheme collapsed, leaving thousands of investors with significant losses.
Teow, often referred to as 'Jho Low 2' due to similarities with the 1MDB scandal figure, was extradited from Thailand to China in August 2024.
He is accused of defrauding over 10 million investors across Asia, with Chinese authorities estimating losses exceeding 100 billion yuan (approximately RM65 billion).
Investigations into the MBI scheme have been ongoing for over seven years.
Authorities continue to identify and apprehend individuals connected to the fraudulent operations, aiming to recover assets and provide justice to the victims.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Increasing retirement age will balance with providing opportunities for youth
KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry has assured that any review of the retirement age will strike a balance between retaining an experienced workforce and creating opportunities for the younger generation. Its minister Steven Sim said several factors must be taken into account in developing a long-term framework, including Malaysians' rising life expectancy, the health and productivity levels of older workers, national labour demand, and the youth unemployment rate. "The Ministry also considers the long-term impact on youth employment, ensuring that any policy change will not add further pressure to the national labour market. "The main focus is to maintain a balance between retaining experienced workers and providing opportunities for the younger generation to secure jobs suited to their qualifications," he said in a written parliamentary reply. Sim said the retirement age set under the Minimum Retirement Age Act 2012 is 60, which represents the minimum age at which an employee may retire. "However, the Act does not prevent employers from hiring workers above the age of 60 or extending their employment," he said. He was responding to Riduan Rubin (Independent–Tenom), who asked about the empirical rationale and long-term policy framework behind the ministry's review of the retirement age, to ensure it does not increase pressure on youth employment opportunities or leave a highly educated younger generation without suitable jobs. On May 23, Sim said the issue of retirement age is among 28 labour laws under the purview of the ministry currently undergoing review, reforms and updates. He said the matter was being considered carefully, taking into account the suitability of any changes in the Malaysian context, as there are both pros and cons to raising the retirement age.
![[UPDATED] RMAF's F/A-18 fighter jet crashes on takeoff in Kuantan](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FFA18D_210825_1755786073.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] RMAF's F/A-18 fighter jet crashes on takeoff in Kuantan
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) confirmed an incident involving its F/A-18 Hornet at the Kuantan airbase at 9.05pm today. RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Muhammad Norazlan Aris when contacted by New Straits Times said: "Affirm, there was an incident involving the aircraft." He added that a statement will be issued soon. The RMAF said immediate action is being taken, and updates will follow. The air force also urged the public not to spread speculation or false news.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
S$160k fine for Fullerton Healthcare Corp co-founder who approved falsified claims of over S$213k
SINGAPORE: One of the three co-founders of Fullerton Healthcare Corporation (FHC) approved six expense claim forms submitted by another co-founder, which involved falsified sums totalling over S$213,000. David Sin, 46, approved the claims on multiple occasions in 2019, despite knowing that Daniel Chan Pai Sheng, 51, had submitted them with the intent to defraud FHC, according to court documents. The prosecution, however, said that Sin did not enjoy financial gains and personal benefit from these offences. On Thursday (Aug 21), Sin pleaded guilty to six counts of falsification of accounts and was fined $160,000. The court heard that he will pay the amount in instalments. The third co-founder, Michael Tan Kim Song, 51, was not involved in these offences. All three men are Singaporeans. Sin was earlier handed seven other charges for offences including graft. Without revealing any details, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jonathan Tan made an application for him to be given a discharge amounting to an acquittal over these remaining charges. The court granted it on Aug 21. Individuals given such a discharge cannot be charged again over the same offences. The court heard that FHC was in the business of investment holding, and had various subsidiaries, including Fullerton Healthcare Group (FHG) and Fullerton Health China. DPPs Tan, David Menon, and Ashley Chin stated in court documents that Tan and Chan were medical doctors by training. In 2010, the pair co-founded FHG, which provided healthcare solutions to corporations. Some time between 2010 and 2012, Tan approached Sin to invest in FHC. Sin decided to do so in 2013 through a firm called Sin Capital Group, where he was chief executive at the time. In 2014, he employed Tei Chu Pink, 45, to be the director of Sin Capital's investment team based in Hong Kong. Investigations revealed that four years later, Chan approached Tei, a Malaysian, to claim certain business expenses from FHC. The DPPs said: 'Daniel (Chan) told (Tei) that the business expenses would be paid from Fullerton Health China's accounts, using inflated entertainment invoices, and that (Michael Tan) had consented to the arrangement.' According to the prosecution, Chan also told Tei the payments were for 'consultancy services' provided by Collin Chiew, 57, who was the Singaporean chief executive of insurance broker Aon Singapore between January 2015 and July 2018. Tei relayed this information to Sin, who consented to the arrangement. The DPPs told the court that in 2019, Chan submitted for Sin's approval six claim forms listing purported expenses of more than $334,000 in total, even though the actual expenses were less than half the amount – over $120,000. Sin approved the claims despite knowing that they had been inflated by more than $213,000. On Aug 21, the DPPs urged the court to sentence him to a fine of between $150,000 and $180,000. They said the amount involved was substantial. However, they also noted that Sin was not the mastermind behind the offences. He is represented by lawyers Melanie Ho, Tang Shangwei and Neo Yi Ling, who pleaded for their client to be fined $120,000 instead. The team from WongPartnership said he 'trusted and assumed his co-founders had good reasons for deciding to pay Collin (Chiew) in such a manner'. They added: 'With the benefit of hindsight, (Sin) accepts that he ought to have done better and should not have turned a blind eye to the breach of corporate governance.' In February 2024, the four Singaporeans – Sin, Chan, Tan and Chiew – were charged with offences including graft. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in an earlier statement that at the time of the alleged offences, Sin was FHC's president, Chan was the president of Fullerton Health China and Tan was a director at FHG. They no longer hold the positions in the companies. The cases involving Chan, Tan and Chiew are still pending. - The Straits Times/ANN
