00:01Seven Chinese nationals, including three students, were charged in the Magistrates' Court in Johor Bahru on Friday over an alleged
00:09cryptocurrency investment scam.
00:11All seven pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them in Mandarin before Magistrate Atifa Hazima Wahab.
00:18They are accused of conspiring to carry out a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme at two residential units in Forest City
00:26at about noon on October 1.
00:28The charge was framed under Section 120b, subsection 2 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term
00:36of six months, a fine, or both upon conviction.
00:40Deputy Public Prosecutor Sarah Siti Aisha Mustafa Kamal proposed bail of RM15,000 with two local sureties for each accused.
00:49However, lawyer Lim Dingchie, representing Yuan Shuping, Li Yi, Wang Tengfei, and Chen Xiaojia, sought a lower amount, saying his
00:59clients were independent contractors with fixed addresses in Forest City.
01:03Lawyer Pang Yongtong, who represented Hong Weixian, Zhou Fu, and Chen Lu, also appealed for lower bail, citing his client's
01:11status as students and have fixed addresses in Forest City.
01:15Atifa Hazima subsequently granted each accused bail of RM7,000 with two sureties and fixed November 11 for the next
01:23mention, for the submission of documents.
01:26In the same court, Hong was also charged under the Immigration Act 1959-63 for failing to possess valid travel
01:34documents.
01:35He was granted bail of RM9,000 with two sureties.
01:39In a separate court, Zhou and Chen Lu faced the same immigration charge.
01:45Magistrate A Sharmini fixed November 2 for a bail reapplication pending the prosecution's verification of the duo's travel documents.
