XFOX scandal: Datuk, four others claim trial over illegal deposits
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 and requested for trial when the charges were read to them separately in front of judge Muhamad Anas Mahadzir.
Suhaila, as XFOX Market Sdn Bhd director, faces 22 counts of receiving, obtaining, and possessing an estimated RM13 million from the illegal activities, while Suraya, as chief executive officer, faces 10 charges of obtaining, possessing, and transferring a total of RM11.1 million in funds.
Mohamad Noor Syauqi is charged with obtaining and possessing RM2.5 million from illegal activities, Muhammad Wahbah Az-Zuhaili faces seven charges of receiving, obtaining, and using RM10.3 million, while Syaabil Ajwad faces seven charges of receiving and one charge of disposing of RM58 million in funds from illegal activities.
They allegedly committed the offences under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, punishable under subsection 4(1) of the same Act, at various bank branches around Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, and Subang between November 2021 and July last year.
At the same proceeding, Suhaila, Suraya, and Mohamad Noor Syauqi pleaded not guilty to another charge of agreeing to accept deposits from the public without a valid licence.
They are charged with committing the offence at the XFOX office in Subang Bestari from Nov 12, 2021, to July 30, 2024, under subsection 137(1) of the Financial Services Act 2013, read together with subsection 249(1)(a) and punishable under Section 137(2) of the same Act.
The prosecution, led by Nurdeenie Abd Rashid and Megat Mahathir Megat Tharih Afendi, suggested RM1 million in bail for all the accused with the condition that they surrender their passports, while lawyer Mohd Haziq Dhiyaudin Razali requested a reduction, pointing out that his clients cooperated fully with Bank Negara Malaysia during the investigation and had no risk of flight.
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New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- New Straits Times
XFOX scandal: Datuk, four others claim trial over illegal deposits
SHAH ALAM: Five individuals, including a woman with the title of 'Datuk', were charged today at a Sessions Court with illegal deposit taking and money laundering over four years. 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 and requested for trial when the charges were read to them separately in front of judge Muhamad Anas Mahadzir. Suhaila, as XFOX Market Sdn Bhd director, faces 22 counts of receiving, obtaining, and possessing an estimated RM13 million from the illegal activities, while Suraya, as chief executive officer, faces 10 charges of obtaining, possessing, and transferring a total of RM11.1 million in funds. Mohamad Noor Syauqi is charged with obtaining and possessing RM2.5 million from illegal activities, Muhammad Wahbah Az-Zuhaili faces seven charges of receiving, obtaining, and using RM10.3 million, while Syaabil Ajwad faces seven charges of receiving and one charge of disposing of RM58 million in funds from illegal activities. They allegedly committed the offences under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, punishable under subsection 4(1) of the same Act, at various bank branches around Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, and Subang between November 2021 and July last year. At the same proceeding, Suhaila, Suraya, and Mohamad Noor Syauqi pleaded not guilty to another charge of agreeing to accept deposits from the public without a valid licence. They are charged with committing the offence at the XFOX office in Subang Bestari from Nov 12, 2021, to July 30, 2024, under subsection 137(1) of the Financial Services Act 2013, read together with subsection 249(1)(a) and punishable under Section 137(2) of the same Act. The prosecution, led by Nurdeenie Abd Rashid and Megat Mahathir Megat Tharih Afendi, suggested RM1 million in bail for all the accused with the condition that they surrender their passports, while lawyer Mohd Haziq Dhiyaudin Razali requested a reduction, pointing out that his clients cooperated fully with Bank Negara Malaysia during the investigation and had no risk of flight.
The Sun
12 hours ago
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Datuk and four others charged with illegal deposit taking in Shah Alam
SHAH ALAM: Five individuals, including a woman holding the title of Datuk, were charged today at the Sessions Court for illegal deposit taking and money laundering activities spanning four years. 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.
Free Malaysia Today
13 hours ago
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‘Datuk' among 5 charged with unlicensed deposit taking, money laundering
The Shah Alam sessions court set bail at RM100,000 with one surety for each accused and ordered their passports to be surrendered until the conclusion of the case. PETALING JAYA : A woman with a 'Datuk' title was among five people charged today in the Shah Alam sessions court with accepting deposits from the public without a valid licence and laundering millions of ringgit between 2021 and 2024. Suhaila Semaru, 41, her sister Suraya, 37, Noor Syauqi Shafiee, 30, Wahbah Az-Zuhaili Ariffin, 33, and his younger brother Syaabil Ajwad, 26, all claimed trial after the charges were read to them before judge Anas Mahadzir. They were charged separately with money laundering using a company named XFOX Market Sdn Bhd, Berita Harian reported. Suhaila, a director of the company, faces 22 charges in total – five for receiving, 12 for acquiring, and five for possessing proceeds from unlawful activities amounting to RM13 million. The funds were said to have been deposited into the company's bank account and her personal account. Suraya, who is the company's CEO, was slapped with 10 charges involving acquiring, possessing, and transferring illegal proceeds amounting to approximately RM11.1 million. Syauqi was charged with acquiring and possessing a total of RM2.5 million in illegal proceeds. Wahbah Az-Zuhaili faces seven charges for receiving, acquiring, and using RM10.3 million in illegal funds. Syaabil Ajwad was charged with seven counts of receiving and one count of disposing of a total of RM58 million in illegal funds. The alleged offences took place between November 2021 and July 2024 at multiple bank branches in Shah Alam, Ara Damansara, Kota Damansara, Klang, as well as at a residence and office in Section U5, Shah Alam. The charges were framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001. Suhaila, Suraya, and Syauqi also pleaded not guilty to charges of accepting deposits from the public without a valid licence under Section 137(1) of the Financial Services Act, read together with Section 249(1)(a) of the same Act. The offence was said to have been committed at XFOX's office in Subang Bestari between November 2021 and July 30, 2024. The judge set bail at RM100,000 with one surety for each of the accused and ordered their passports to be surrendered until the conclusion of the case. Deputy public prosecutors Nurdeenie Abd Rashid and Megat Mahathir Megat Tharih Afendi conducted the prosecution while the accused were represented by Haziq Dhiyaudin Razali. The court set Aug 6 for mention of the case.
