TAIPING, May 23 – JJ Poor To Rich (JJPTR) founder Johnson Lee and two of his aides arrested to facilitate investigations into the investment scheme which suffered financial losses have been released on police bail after police failed to extend their remand at the Taiping court and they will be handed over to another police contingent.
Taiping police confirmed the three men had been released and their remand was not extended. Taiping district police chief ACP Harrith Kam Abdullah said the men will be taken to other contingents for further investigation. He declined to reveal which contingent they would be sent to.
The three men were represented by lawyers Mohd Shukri Ahmad Mansor and G. Jaya Prem. Mohd Shukri told reporters outside the courtroom that his clients were being probed for cheating. Perak Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief, Supt Lee Ewe Kiang said the men were arrested to facilitate investigations after a man lodged a report at the Kamunting police station recently involving a loss of RM4,700.
On Sunday, they arrived at the Taiping police headquarters here from Penang at 7.30pm. The extension of the remand order for them was rejected on Sunday by the Penang magistrate’s court after being detained for six days. The trio were initially arrested in a 4.30am operation in Petaling Jaya on May 16 (Tuesday) and remanded till May 18 (Thursday).
The three men were investigated for a fraud case involving RM56,400 under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. On May 18, police requested for a three day remand extension but were only granted an additional day by the courts. They were released on police bail in Petaling Jaya on Friday after their remand expired, but were rearrested shortly afterwards.
Last Friday, a task force from Bukit Aman’s Anti-Money Laundering squad, CCID, Bank Negara, the Companies Commission of Malaysia, Inland Revenue Department, National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team and Cyber Security raided eight JJPTR premises in Penang.
Among the locations targeted by the task force were offices and residential units. During raids, 15 JJPTR employees and four investors aged between 23 and 40 had their statements recorded by police. JJPTR, a Penang-based company, came under scrutiny after investors said they had not been receiving their scheduled monthly payment. Lee had reportedly claimed that the company’s account had been hacked, leading to a loss of US$400 million (RM1.738bil). — PN
