Appeals court chides lawyer in Genneva case for filing review

PUTRAJAYA: A Court of Appeal judge has reprimanded a lawyer representing one of four former directors of gold bar investment company Genneva Sdn Bhd (GSB) for filing a review against the ongoing proceedings of the case.
Justice Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki, chairing a three-man panel said the panel was informed that a review had been filed by a lawyer against conviction and the case had yet to finish.
"Why can't you wait? It's an insult, I feel that way," said Mohtarudin who presided over the case, with justices Datuk Seri Zakaria Sam and Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil.
Outside the court, lawyer Datuk Harpal Singh Grewal representing Chin Wai Leong, 41, said he filed the review against the conviction last Tuesday.
On Dec 12 last year, the court had found the four former directors of GSB and the company guilty on 293 counts of money laundering and five counts of illegal deposit taking, involving more than RM100 million, and had set today for submission and sentencing.
Mohtarudin said the court unanimously found that the prosecution as appellant in the case, had succeeded in proving the charges faced by the four respondents - Ng Poh Weng, 67, Marcus Yee Yuen Seng, 65, Chin Wai Leong, 41, and Liew Chee Wah, 63, beyond reasonable doubt.
However, at today's proceeding, the court adjourned the case to Jan 11 for submission and sentencing following the absence of Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who is Chin's lead counsel.
Lawyer Sarah Abishegam informed the panel that Muhammad Shafee could not be present today, and would only be able to be present in court tomorrow and applied for an adjournment.
The prosecution had appealed against their acquittal on the charges.
On Sept 20, 2016, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had upheld the sessions court decision to acquit and discharge all of them after finding that the investment company was only involved in the sale and purchase of physical gold, and that there was no evidence that the company was accepting deposits without a licence.
On May 16, 2013, the sessions court acquitted and discharged them after finding that their statements of defence had managed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case.
They were accused of committing money-laundering offences at the Menara Public Bank at No. 146, Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur, between July 2008 and June 2009.
They were also accused of illegally accepting public deposits at the company's premises in Jalan Kuchai Maju 6, Persimpangan Jalan Kuchai Lama in Kuala Lumpur, between November 2008 and July 2009. — Bernama