KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police have intensified their efforts to curb illegal money laundering activities from ‘loan shark’ or ‘ah long’ and arrested 16 people from nine cases last year.
State Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Superintendent Saiman Kasran said from the arrests, two individuals had been charged in court under section 5 (2) of the Money Lenders Act 1951.
“All the arrested suspects had been identified to be involved in illegal money laundering activities around the state, including the Federal Territory of Labuan,” he told a press conference at the State Commercial Crime Investigation Department in Kepayan here yesterday.
Saiman added that from January until December 2013, the police had taken down 3,963 illegal posters and advertisements that had been put up by loan sharks around the country.
“Apart from taking down these posters, we have also recorded the telephone numbers that were advertised and handed them to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ( MCMC) for further investigation,” he said.
Elaborating further, Saiman said 12 of the suspects who were arrested were from Peninsular Malaysia, and police investigation showed that they had expanded their illegal business to Sabah.
Although there is an increase in illegal money laundering activities in Sabah, that is six cases with 12 arrests in 2012, Saiman said such activities in the country were still under control.
“Illegal money laundering activities in Sabah are still under control compared to those in Peninsular Malaysia, but we will continue to monitor such activities and intensify our efforts to curb such illegal activities,” he said.