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The Star
08-05-2025
- The Star
Cops visit office, home of ‘Tan Sri' linked to MBI
GEORGE TOWN: Police visited the office and house of a 53-year-old businessman with a 'Tan Sri' title who was arrested to facilitate investigation into the Mobility Beyond Imagination (MBI) investment scam. The team from Bukit Aman spent about two hours in the businessman's office in Bayan Baru where he was seen clad in an orange detention outfit, before heading to his residence in Gelugor. It is not known if any materials or assets were seized during the visits to the two locations. Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department acting director Datuk Muhammed Hasbullah Ali confirmed that the suspect was taken to both his office and home on Friday to facilitate in on-going investigations. He said a press conference would be held later to provide updates on the progress of the Ops Northern Star investigation. The 'Tan Sri' was arrested upon his return from overseas at about 2am on Thursday. This brings the total of those detained to 14. The arrests of 13 suspects earlier – who included two 'Tan Sri' businessmen and a 'Datuk Seri' – were made between March 21 and April 21, with RM3.5bil in assets seized, including a hotel and durian plantations linked to the MBI investment scam. Among the durian plantations seized were plantations in Pahang, Penang and Kedah worth RM223,624,167.75. An additional 299 bank accounts with RM123,614,594.35 had also been frozen. These assets were believed to have been purchased or had links to the proceeds from the scheme's illegal gains.
The Star
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Third ‘Tan Sri' nabbed in RM3.5bil MBI scam probe
KUALA LUMPUR: Another 'Tan Sri' has been nabbed over his alleged involvement in the Mobility Beyond Imagination (MBI) investment scam. This brings the total of those detained in the ongoing investigation to 14 people. Sources said the 53-year-old man was detained in Penang at about 2am yesterday after he returned from overseas. 'He arrived from overseas via Kuala Lumpur International Airport and made his way to Penang. 'He is believed to be either the syndicate's proxy or a business partner of the suspects,' sources said. The police are also investigating the possibility of the suspect's involvement in money laundering for the syndicate. 'He is believed to have received profits from the investment scam for money laundering purposes,' sources said. Meanwhile, IGP secretariat's Anti-Money Laundering (Amla) division head Comm Datuk Muhammad Hasbullah Ali confirmed the arrest under Ops Northern Star. 'However, we have not seized any belongings so far. 'We are still investigating the case,' he said. The Star previously reported that two prominent businessmen with Tan Sri titles and a Datuk Seri were already in custody. The arrests of the earlier 13 suspects were made between March 21 and April 21, which has now seen RM3.5bil in assets including a hotel and durian plantations linked to the MBI investment scheme previously seized. Among the assets seized this round were durian plantations in Pahang, Penang and Kedah worth RM223,624,167.75. An additional 299 bank accounts with RM123,614,594.35 were also frozen, he said. All these assets were believed to have been purchased or had links to the proceeds from the scheme's illegal gains. Investigations showed that one of the Tan Sri, a businessman, had been acting as both partner to the investment scam and a proxy to the victims. As of now, no other 'influential figures' such as politicians are on the police radar and others who were being pursued are businessmen, said Comm Muhammad Hasbullah.
The Star
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Third Tan Sri nabbed in MBI probe, say cops
KUALA LUMPUR: Another Tan Sri has been nabbed over his alleged involvement in the MBI investment scam. Sources said the 53-year-old man was detained at about 2am on Thursday (May 1) in Penang after he returned from overseas. Sources said the suspect is believed to be a proxy for the syndicate. "He is also a business partner of some of the suspects and received profits from the investment scam for money laundering purposes," sources said. Meanwhile, the IGP secretariat's Anti-Money Laundering (AMLA) division head Comm Datuk Muhammad Hasbullah Ali confirmed the arrest under Ops Northern Star. ALSO READ: Cops nab another 'Tan Sri' over MBI investment scam "However, we have not seized any belongings so far. We are still investigating the case further," he said. Previously, it was reported that a 'Tan Sri' and a 'Datuk Seri' were the latest arrests under Ops Northern Star, which has now seen RM3.5bil in assets including a hotel and durian plantations linked to the MBI investment scheme being seized. Comm Muhammad Hasbullah had said the 'Tan Sri' and 'Datuk Seri' were among five caught during the second round of arrests between April 18 and 21. This brings the number of suspects arrested to 13, with eight previously caught between March 21 and April 5. ALSO READ: Datuks held over MBI scam 'They (the latest arrested) have been remanded for between five and six days to assist investigations,' Comm Muhammad Hasbullah told a press conference at the division's headquarters here on Wednesday (April 30). Among the assets seized this round were durian plantations in Pahang, Penang and Kedah worth RM223,624,167.75. An additional 299 bank accounts with RM123,614,594.35 were also frozen, he said. All these assets were believed to have been purchased or had links to the proceeds from the scheme's illegal gains. Investigations showed that the 'Tan Sri', a businessman, had been acting as both partner to the investment scam and a proxy to the victims. ALSO READ: More arrests expected in MBI scheme crackdown As of now, no other influential figures such as politicians are on the police's radar and others who were being pursued are businessmen, said Comm Muhammad Hasbullah. Previously, the police arrested another 'Tan Sri' and further checks showed that he had no direct links to the scam, but he had actually attempted to swindle one of the suspects. Investigations showed that the 'Tan Sri' had offered to make the suspect's case 'go away' for RM25mil. 'The suspect had paid RM10mil as a deposit,' said Comm Muhammad Hasbullah, adding that the suspect told the police of the deal when he was arrested. The 'Tan Sri' was later picked up following the suspect's police report.
The Star
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Another ‘Tan Sri' nabbed
KUALA LUMPUR: Another 'Tan Sri' and a 'Datuk Seri' are the latest arrests under Ops Northern Star, which has now seen RM3.5bil in assets including a hotel and durian plantations linked to the MBI investment scheme being seized. IGP secretariat's Anti-Money Laundering (AMLA) division head Comm Datuk Muhammad Hasbullah Ali said the 'Tan Sri' and 'Datuk Seri' were among five caught during the second round of arrests between April 18 and April 21. This brings the number of suspects arrested to 13, with eight previously caught between March 21 and April 5. 'They (the latest arrested) have been remanded for between five and six days to assist investigations,' Comm Muhammad Hasbullah told a press conference at the division's headquarters here yesterday. Among the assets seized this round were durian plantations in Pahang, Penang and Kedah worth RM223,624,167.75. An additional 299 bank accounts with RM123,614,594.35 were also frozen, he said. All these assets were believed to have been purchased or had links to the proceeds from the scheme's illegal gains. Investigations showed that the 'Tan Sri', a businessman, had been acting as both partner to the investment scam and a proxy to the victims. As of now, no other 'influential figures' such as politicians are on the police's radar and others who were being pursued are businessmen, said Comm Muhammad Hasbullah. Previously, the police arrested another 'Tan Sri' and further checks showed that he had no direct links to the scam, but he had actually attempted to swindle one of the suspects. Investigations showed that the 'Tan Sri' had offered to make the suspect's case 'go away' for RM25mill. 'The suspect had paid RM10mill as a deposit,' said Comm Muhammad Hasbullah, adding that the suspect told the police of the deal when he was arrested. The 'Tan Sri' was later picked up following the suspect's police report. Comm Muhammad Hasbullah explained that the MBI investment scheme scam had been investigated for around eight years, but only six police reports had been lodged in Malaysia. Several reports had been retracted by the complainants. 'From what we have received from the Interpol Red Notice, there were around 11 million victims from neighboring countries,' he said. He also said it is possible that more assets would be seized as investigations continue. 'We believe the total could go up to several more billions.' To date, the seizures in Ops Northern have totalled RM3.5bil, among which are a hotel, a developer's office and a palm oil factory. On April 11, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said eight suspects, including those with the title of 'Datuk', had been arrested as part of investigations into the MBI investment scam. Last year, fugitive businessman and founder of MBI, Penang-born Tedy Teow, was extradited to China from Thailand to assist in investigations there on scammed Chinese nationals. Investors claimed that some two million in China had been cheated by Teow involving a sum of 500 billion yuan (RM307bil). Some of the investors flew to Malaysia to search for Teow in 2019 in a bid to recover their investments into MBI's online pyramid scheme. Through Interpol, the Chinese police sought to arrest Teow by issuing a red notice on Nov 9, 2020. Teow operated a hotel, theme park, furniture business, property development and entertainment complexes, including a resort in Danok near the Thailand-Malaysia border. He also built a sprawling business empire from dubious online investment schemes that attracted investors from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Macau. Thai police arrested Teow on July 21, 2022, for allegedly operating an online casino and money laundering operation after raiding MBI's office in Songkhla.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bukit Aman: ‘Tan Sri' and ‘Datuk Seri' among five more arrested in MBI scam as cops seize RM3.5b in assets including three durian orchards
KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 – The federal police have arrested five more local men, including a businessman with the title 'Tan Sri' and another with the title 'Datuk Seri, in their investigation of the alleged MBI Group International scam. Datuk Muhamed Hasbullah Aliq, head of the Money Laundering Crime Investigation Team of the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, said all individuals are currently under remand for five to six days to assist in the ongoing investigation. 'Following information obtained from the first operation and further investigations, the task force carried out a second series of operations in the Klang Valley and northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia from April 18 to April 21,' he said in a press conference at Menara KPJ here. Hasbullah said that the 'Tan Sri' and 'Datuk Seri' detained believed to be partners and proxy of the scam operations. He added that freezing and seizure actions were carried out on various assets and properties believed to be linked to the investment scam. A display showing luxury items and vehicles seized during Op Northern Star. April 22, 2025 — Picture by Raymond Manuel The list of newly seized, frozen and confiscated items are: Durian orchards estimated worth RM223,624,167.75 at three sites: 850 acres in Raub, Pahang; 13 acres in Jawi, Penang; and 34 acres in Tasek, Kedah 299 bank accounts with a total value of RM123,614,594.35 12 luxury vehicles one luxury wristwatch an undisclosed amount of cash in Malaysian ringgit five mobile phones one computer unit various important documents The total estimated value of all frozen and seized assets after the second operation is now RM3,513,304,957.84. 'Additionally, the task force seized three businesses under Section 52 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Act 613). 'The businesses include a palm oil processing factory in Selama, Kedah, a hotel in Penang, and a property development company also based in Penang,' he said. Hasbullah said his department will continue investigations and take action against any individuals or entities linked to assets derived from illegal investment fraud activities. A display showing cash and vehicles seized during Op Northern Star. April 22, 2025 — Picture by Raymond Manuel On March 20, the police carried out an enforcement initiative known as Ops Northern Star, following a red notice issued by Interpol. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said police arrested eight individuals, including four with the title of Datuk, in connection with the MBI scam and seized RM3.17 billion worth of assets. Authorities had then frozen 638 bank and share accounts worth RM1,160,166,195.74. They also seized 35 properties valued at RM2,005,900,000. Other confiscated items included 10 luxury cars, 12 luxury watches and cash in both local and foreign currencies. The detained individuals, aged between 44 and 62, included two businessmen and two lawyers. Last year, authorities extradited MBI founder Tedy Teow from Thailand to China to assist in investigations involving Chinese victims of the scheme. MBI reportedly attracted investors from Malaysia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Macau through dubious online investment schemes. Teow operated various businesses, including a hotel, theme park, resort, furniture outlet, and property development projects in Danok, near the Thailand-Malaysia border.
