KUALA LUMPUR (June 13): A man with a "Datuk" title was on Thursday granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) by the Sessions Court on 12 counts of money laundering amounting to more than RM4 million in proceeds from unlawful activities, eight years ago.

Judge Suzana Hussin made the ruling after deputy public prosecutor, Rozaliana Zakaria, informed the court that the prosecution withdrew the 12 charges against Datuk Ahmad Azwan Aboo Mansoor, 54.

“Previously, the accused faced 16 charges, and the prosecution requests the court to discharge not amounting to acquittal the accused of 12 charges that are withdrawn, while the remaining four charges will be continued by the prosecution,” said Rozaliana, before the proceedings of the trial.

Lawyer Harjinder Singh Sandhu, who represented Ahmad Azwan, did not object.

On the first to the seventh count, the accused was alleged to have disposed of RM815,863.06 in ill-gotten gains, from his savings account at Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, Taman Melawati branch, here between April 2016 and April 2018.

Ahmad Azwan also faced five charges of transferring RM3,020,299.98, allegedly proceeds from unlawful activities, from his bank account to another of his and two other accounts, one belonging to a man and the other, belonging to a company, at the same place, between June 11, 2016 and Dec 20, 2017.

All the charges were framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act, which provides for imprisonment for up to 15 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the ill-gotten gains, or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Rozaliana told the court that there were amendments involving four more charges against the accused, and requested that the charges be read to the accused.

Ahmad Azwan pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

Based on the four amended charges, the accused is charged with receiving money amounting to RM3,961,003.03, which is the result of unlawful activities, into his bank account at Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, Taman Melawati branch, between Jan 11, 2016 and March 9, 2018, and all the charges are framed under the same law.

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