Trio slapped with 34 money laundering charges involving more than RM61mil

Kota Kinabalu: A former director of the Sabah Water Department, his wife and his former deputy slapped himself with 34 counts of money laundering involving RM61.4mil in which the Malaysian Anticorruption Commission with the Big Survey the country so far .

Former Ag Mohd director Tahir Mohd Talib Ag, 54, was beaten with 12 caricatures for a total restitution of RM56.9m while his wife Fauziah Piut, 51, faces 19 similar charges involving cash and The properties of a total of RM2.2 thousand.

Former MP Ag Mohd Tahir, Lim Beng Lam, 64, faces four property and cash charges totaling RM2.3mil.

The three claimed evidence for charges in the Special Corruption Tribunal after it was produced before the Umm Court Judge Kalthom Abdul Samad.

Ag Mohd Tahir was the first to be charged when the hearing began at 10:15.

I faced eight counts of being in possession of RM56.9 million in cash and four bank accounts, two charges of possession of six luxury vehicles and one count of possession of 86 types of brand watches.

I was also facing another charge of being directly involved in the provision of RM14,000 to one person, Cristine Fiona M. Ponsoi.

The articles have been designed in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1 (b), and article 4, paragraph 1 (a), of the Act on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proceeds from Illegal Activities.

Fauziah faces 18 counts of being in possession of more than RM2.2 thousand in 18 bank accounts. He was also accused of using the proceeds of illegal activities to have 93 branded handbags.

Ag Mohd Tahir and Fauziah were also charged along with possessing 575 pieces of gold jewelry and another charge of being in possession of another 376 types of jewelry acquired by illegal means.

They were represented by Hairul Minnow lawyer Othman C. and Ariel Dasan who had acted for Pareira PJ.

Chin Teck Ming, was accused of being in possession of more than RM2.38mil would have been the product of illegal activities.

Ummu Kalthom later allowed Ag Mohd Tahir to be released on bail of RM10mil - one of the most important guarantees of the country established in the country.

He also authorized Fauziah to be released on bail while bail RM2mil Lim was set at RM1mil with handling cases to be heard on February 28.

Ummu Kalthom also ordered that his travel documents be sent to the court.
In declaring for the RM10mil deposit of Ag Mohd Tahir, Secretary of Justice MACC Husmamuddin Hussin said that the seizure of assets in the case were the most important by the MACC and any other law enforcement agency.

The offense is linked to the act of corruption by a public official responsible for the management of an important resource - water, said Husmamuddin.

When declaring the bail Ag Mohd Tahir is set at RM10, 000 for each charge, the link should not be excessive to penalize its customers ...

Backpage.com Hit With New Pimping, Money-laundering Charges in California

California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Friday filed new criminal prosecutions for pimping and money laundering against the CEO and majority shareholder of Backpage.com, which has revived a case that was rejected by a judge earlier this month .

New Charges Against Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer and Majority Holders Michael Lacey and James Larkin include 26 counts of money laundering and 13 counts of pimping and conspiracy charges to commit sex trafficking.

While the prosecution charges appear similar to those filed by Harris against the trio in October and later rejected the money laundering allegations are new.

Backpage, the second-largest online advertising services in the United States after Craigslist was the subject of a thorough review of the United States Senate and allegations of civil prosecution that the site facilitates sex trafficking, especially in the United States. children.

However, efforts to process the company have been blocked by a federal law that protects website operators from liability for content posted by third parties.

Friday's complaint alleges that the defendants have created several corporate entities for money laundering and circumvent the refusal of financial institutions to process Backpage transactions because of overtly sexual material, the attorney general's office said in a press release.

It also alleges that the defendants have created other sites to increase revenues related to the prostitution of the company and developed the content of these sites, using photographs or information of victims without knowing it.

Backpage representatives could not be contacted immediately.

The latest action, like other procedures involving Backpage.com, will be closely followed by the technology industry. The federal shield of liability for content is considered essential for companies ranging from the Google and Facebook to eBay and Airbnb, but has been criticized by some lawmakers and judges.

A civil suit against Backpage was filed in 2012 in Washington state by three teenagers who were allegedly repeatedly raped after it was announced on the site. The girls, the oldest was 15, followed Backpage for claims including the sexual exploitation of children, claiming that their allocation rules were intended to teach how pimps publish traffic messages that are beyond the application of the law.

Backpage argued that it has no rules to prevent illegal positions, and some advocates of freedom of expression have submitted writs in support of their position. The Supreme Court of Washington State did not agree, in power last year that the trial could go ahead.

Earlier this year, however, a case of similar agreements involving children against Backpage Massachusetts was rejected by a federal appeals court, which states that the principles of freedom of expression enshrined in the Decency Communications Act Were primordial.

Harris, a Democrat, was recently elected to the United States Senate and will take office in January.

Exposure Draft Released of New Anti-Money Laundering Laws

New Zealanders and affected sectors have their opportunity to step in a new bill to fight the $ 1.3 billion annually for laundering criminals, Justice Minister Amy Adams announced.

The government announced in June that it would speed up the second phase of its anti-money laundering (AML) reforms to cover lawyers, accountants, real estate agents and other high-value dealers.

Since then, the policy has been fully developed and budgeted. As part of this work, the government asked Ernst & Young to provide an independent report on compliance costs, which showed that the reforms could impose up to $ 1.6 billion in ten years on New Zealand.

"Money laundering is the lifeblood of profit-driven crimes. It allows criminals to finance their lifestyle and promotes reinvestment in criminal enterprises," Adams said.

"Our aim is to ensure that the regime is as effective as possible while minimizing the impact on companies and their clients. We have to address the real risks that money laundering and terrorist financing pose while ensuring at the same time That compliance costs are as low as possible.

"The commentary to the draft norm gives sectors, companies and New Zealanders the opportunity to comment on the question of whether we have found the right balance between the fight against organized crime financing and the livelihood of the burden of New Zealand assets ".

It is estimated that 1.3 billion of the benefits of fraud and addiction are washed every year in New Zealand.

It is estimated that 1.3 billion of the benefits of fraud and addiction are washed every year in New Zealand.

"These reforms alone have the potential to alter up to $ 1.7 billion in fraud and drug-related crime over the next decade." This means less crime and less casualties.The estimates also suggest could prevent up to $ 5 million dollars Of the broader crimes and reduce the social damage of about $ 800 million in relation to illicit drug trafficking.

"The reforms also protect and help New Zealand to fulfill its reputation of being free from corruption and a good place to do business. We approach international standards and will help prevent New Zealand becoming a target for money launderers at Foreign and financial terrorism.

"This government has a well-deserved reputation for fighting corruption and eliminating criminal funding. It also demonstrates the growth of the economy, job creation and the reduction of unemployment. It will be essential to find the right balance. "

The government intends to introduce legislation early next year and have adopted it by mid-2017.

Casino Anti-Money Laundering Safeguards Receive Praise

Control protocols against money laundering instead by businesses and casino games in the last decade, work and a new report pays tribute to the praise.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an independent intergovernmental body that develops and promotes policies to safeguard global financial systems, said in its annual report that "the gaming industry has taken important steps" to limit the use of casinos to wash Money effectively. FATF says that anti-money laundering safeguards have prevented terrorist organizations.

"Casinos have not only increased their spending on compliance but also implemented reduction measures above the requirements of the Banking Secrecy Act (BSA) according to their risk," says the FATF report.

The president of the American Gaming Association, Geoff Freeman, welcomed the news. "We are proud of the tremendous progress the industry has made not only since the FATF report on the video game industry ten years ago, but over the past three years we have partnered with the federal government," Freeman said in a statement.

No secret asked

The Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions to keep records of important transactions, typically more than $ 10,000 over a 24-hour period. When federal law was passed in 1970, it was only for strictly financial firms like banks and brokers.

However, with the rise of gambling in the United States, and the billions that move through the casino cages, came the need of the industry to comply with the BSA. A decade ago, casinos failed to adequately control their cash plants.

In 1996, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) called on casinos to file reports on currency transactions to any customer that makes transactions worth $ 10,000 or more in a single day. In addition, the casino has to file a suspicious activity report (SAR) when a money laundering client is suspected.

Like the better-known Launders surveillance of the banks, criminals have taken to the casino box. SAR filings increased about 70 percent to casinos between 2013 and 2014 according to FinCEN

Bet on winners

Former FinCEN director Jennifer Shasky Calvery feared that casinos are reluctant to comply with BSA reporting laws because of the possibility of giving up valuable VIP customers. But the results of the FATF show that casinos are willing to help in the fight against crime and rely on customers who meet the rules for their entry.

The FATF said that representatives of casinos and gambling regulators who had met had a "good understanding of the risks of money laundering and the financing of terrorism." Many countries use the FATF report to assess risks to international financial corporations.

Casinos often do more harm than good the headlines when it comes to money laundering.

In February, two Philippine casinos have been accused of aiding a $ 81 million band. Hackers plan almost $ 1 billion in withdrawals from the bank account in Bangladesh at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. A simple spelling mistake stopped the transfers, but not before 81 million dollars were handed over to unknown thieves.

The president of the Hawaii Oriental Casino Kim Wong was later accused for his role in the operation.