JOHOR BARU, Dec 13 — Two directors of a frozen meat supply company, alleged to be linked to the meat cartel scandal, together with its store manager and accountant, were charged in the Sessions Court here today for money laundering involving RM13.28 million.

A total of 16 charges involving the amount were alleged to have taken place between October 2018 to December last year.

The accused Yong Chee Keong, 40, as well as store manager Chong Kim Kuang, 48, and accountant Ng Yee Xin, 37, pleaded not guilty.

The plea was recorded after the charges were read separately before Judge Fatimah Zahari.

However, LY Frozen Food Sdn Bhd director Tan Siew Huak, 42, is still at large.

Fatimah later also ordered an arrest warrant to be issued against Tan, who had failed to attend all proceedings in the case involving the company since it was brought to court last February.

According to the charge sheet, the company and the three accused, as well as another who is still at large, were charged with receiving cash amounting to RM446,517.19, RM6.75 million, RM2.78 million and RM3.37 million respectively involving a total value of RM13.28 million. The cash transactions were made through a bank account owned by LY Frozen Sdn Bhd.

The accused were charged under Section 4 (1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001, which is punishable under Section 4 (1) of the same Act.

The offence under AMLATFPUAA carries a jail term not exceeding 15 years' and a fine of at least five times the sum obtained from money laundering or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutors, Noor Raihan Rithuwan and Norazihah Asmuni prosecuted in the case. 

All the accused, except Tan who is still at large, were represented by lawyers Zamri Idrus and Saifuzaman Ab Rahman.

Later, the prosecution applied to the court to impose a bail of RM1 million on the three accused.

However, the counsels representing both Yong and Chong applied to the court to use the previous bail amount as they had already paid RM660,000 for the previous charge.

They also applied for Ng’s bail to be set at between RM50,000 to RM60,000 as the woman is currently unemployed.

Fatimah then ordered the previous bail to be applied on both Yong and Chong, while bail of RM100,000 was imposed on Ng, with the additional condition of reporting to the nearest police station in the first week of each month as well as surrendering her passport to the court.

The court also set tomorrow for mention.

This is the third time that LY Frozen Good Sdn Bhd and its management have been charged in court in relation to the existence of a meat cartel scandal since it surfaced late last year.

On April, both Yong and Chong had been charged with four counts each of abetment and possession of prohibited goods worth RM643,465.39 on December 15 last year at LY Frozen Food Sdn Bhd.

Prior to that, both were also charged in February with using fake trade descriptions using the same company at the Sessions Court here with 21 counts of possessing and distributing unauthorised frozen products and using false and unauthorised Halal logo