Datuk and four others charged with illegal deposit taking in Shah Alam
The accused – Datuk Suhaila Semaru, 41, her sister Suraya Semaru, 37, brothers Muhammad Wahbah Az-Zuhaili Mohd Ariffin, 33, Muhammad Syaabil Ajwad Mohd Ariffin, 26, and Mohamad Noor Syauqi Shafiee, 30 – pleaded not guilty before Judge Muhamad Anas Mahadzir.
Suhaila, as director of XFOX Market Sdn Bhd, faces 22 counts of receiving, obtaining, and owning approximately RM13 million from illegal activities. Suraya, the company's CEO, is charged with 10 counts involving RM11.1 million.
Mohamad Noor Syauqi is accused of obtaining RM2.5 million, Muhammad Wahbah Az-Zuhaili faces seven charges involving RM10.3 million, and Syaabil Ajwad is charged with seven counts of receiving and one count of disposing RM58 million in illicit funds.
The offences, allegedly committed between November 2021 and July 2023, fall under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Additionally, Suhaila, Suraya, and Mohamad Noor Syauqi face another charge for accepting public deposits without a valid licence under the Financial Services Act 2013.
Prosecutors proposed RM1 million bail for each accused, but the court reduced it to RM100,000 with conditions including passport surrender. The case will be re-mentioned on August 6.
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