Businesswoman in Ponzi scheme gets 120 years in jail, RM5mil fine

KUALA LUMPUR: A businesswoman was sentenced to a total of 120 years in jail and fined RM5mil for swindling 4,000 people in an illegal investment scheme.

Raja Noor Asma Raja Harun, 49, pleaded guilty Monday to offences related to the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Securities Commission, after 18 witnesses testified from Aug 5 last year.

She was alleged to have fleeced 4,000 investors and earned herself millions during the year she was running her wealth management business, without having either a fund manager's licence or a futures broker's licence.

Raja Noor Asma had pleaded guilty to receiving, using or having in possession of illegal proceeds obtained through a Ponzi scheme at various banks between 2007 and 2008.

(A Ponzi scheme is said to be a swindle in which quick returns on an initial investment, mostly with money from new investors, lures the victim into bigger risks.)

A Sessions Court here sentenced her to a total of 100 years in prison – two years' imprisonment for each of 50 counts of money laundering – under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

She will, however, serve only two years after judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah ordered her jail terms to run concurrently.

Raja Noor Asma, a director of FX Capital Consultant (M) Sdn Bhd and FX Consultant, was also fined RM5mil and jailed a total of 20 years for various charges related to the Securities Commission.

She will, however, serve just five years for these offences, as Komathy also ordered the sentences related to the commission to run concurrently.

In all Raja Noor Asma will spend seven years in prison for her offences, committed from 2007 to 2008.

"Deterrence and denunciation are the two primary considerations taken into account in crafting an appropriate sentence in this case.

"The offences committed by the accused are serious and public confidence in the court would be corroded if offenders who deceive the public are given lenient sentence," said Komathy.

Raja Noor Asma admitted to committing the offences at the company's premises in Rawang between February 2007 and May 2008.

The court has set April 1 to hear claims by investors over their investments in the scheme in an attempt to recover their money.

又一宗骗案570人损失2千多万 快速致富5年刮30亿

（吉隆坡14日讯）首相署副部长拿督姆鲁基亚指出，公共投诉局在过去5年来接获的各类快速致富欺诈案数以万计，涉及的损失金额高达30亿令吉。

他指出，近年来发生的欺诈案手法层出不穷，大部分都是抓准人们想要快速致富的心理，再以高回酬作为诱饵，吸引民众上当。

“其中，早前的海藻投资欺骗案达2千宗，损失金额约10亿令吉；另外，也有以养殖泥鳅作为卖点的欺骗案，共有50宗，损失逾2百万令吉。”

他今日在国大党总部召开记者会再揭发一宗“多功能贩卖机”快速致富欺骗案，已知受害者共570人，骗取金额超过2千多万令吉，即平均每人投资约4万令吉，血本无归。

每人4万元血本无归

他披露，该涉案的公司教唆受害者投资一架名为“Mat Kiosk”的机器，并号称每月最少能获得2千令吉以上的回酬，投资越多台机器，所获得的回酬就越多。

据 悉，该机器的概念与日常在公众场所、轻快铁站、购物商场等随处能见的饮料贩卖器类似，主要的功能是贩卖加额卡，让民众能随时为手机加额及缴交每月的网络服 务费。一般相信，每一台机器的“投资金额”介于3万令吉至4万令吉之间，甚至还“贴心”的让每一名投资者自行选择置放地点。

另外，除了固定的回酬之外，受害者还被告知能从贩卖器的所得盈利中再抽取5％的利润。

岂料，缴付款项后，负责人便“脚底抹油”，联同机器及款项消失无踪，连公司也已停止运作。

姆鲁基亚:应投资正确管道

姆鲁基亚呼吁全国的民众勿一而再的轻信所有标榜快速致富的投资计划，应把多余的资金投入在正确的投资管道。

“在过去的6个月以来，公共投诉局所接获的各类型诈欺案件超过3千宗，多不胜数，而且大部分都不是涉及个人，而是一个群体受骗。”

“甚至有一名欠债的女生因不堪大耳窿的骚扰，跑来向我投诉并扬言在我面前自杀，但我什么也做不到，我也不是什么有钱人，无法替受害人填债。”

他建议，所有欲进行投资的公众可以向政府机构获得相关的资讯，其中包括马来西亚监管委员会、国家银行、贸消部等。

他指出，民众在做任何投资之前，应率先要求马来西亚监管委员会调查有关公司的投资背景及运作，在获得任何调查报告前，切忽轻举妄动做投资。

针对涉及欺骗民众的公司或集团，姆鲁基亚表示，马来西亚监管委员会将会介入协助调查，一旦发现属实，便会采取法律行动对付相关的负责人。

“若民众觉得有任何不妥，也可主动联络该委员会，让那些有心人接受法律的制裁。”

他披露，目前已有几家公司因诈欺被控上法庭，等待法律判决，惟他并没有透露有关公司的名字。