Latest news with #OpsNorthernStar
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
MBI Selangor refutes any connection to MBI International Group
PETALING JAYA: Selangor Mentri Besar (Incorporated) or MBI Selangor stresses that it has no connection, relationship or interest with MBI International Group (MBI) and individuals involved in the investigation into an investment fraud case. Sinar Harian reported that MBI Selangor said there was a possibility of public confusion arising from the similarity of names between the two entities and it is taking this seriously. 'MBI Selangor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Selangor government established to drive strategic development, investment and management of state assets in line with the aspirations of sustainable development and prosperity of the people of Selangor. 'Therefore, we urge the public to be careful and not to be confused with entities that are not related to the official operations of the Selangor government. 'Any further information about MBI Selangor can be obtained through our official website at or other official communication channels,' it said in a statement on Saturday (May 31). Previously, it was reported that a businessman with the title of Tan Sri was among three individuals who were arrested after being believed to be involved in an investment fraud scheme involving MBI. Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department acting director Datuk Seri Muhammed Hasbullah Ali said the three suspects, who are local men aged between 46 and 58 years old, were arrested in raids carried out through Ops Northern Star around Kuala Lumpur and Penang between May 1 and 17. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had also announced that his department arrested eight individuals and seized assets worth RM3.17bil on April 11, based on information from an Interpol Red Notice.
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.
