Various cash deposits in CID director's account raised alarm
Cash deposits in Malaysia’s crime-fighting chief account led to Australian police seizing his cash.
They said they seized the account of Wan Ahmad Najmuddin.
In other words, the seizure is testing the Malaysia-Australia ties.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed questioned the Australian police action.
He says the release of the news in the media was an attempt to embarrass Malaysia.
But the Aussies are saying the transactions are suspicious.
The amount seized is AUD$320,000 (RM971,728).
The police suspected the money was from money laundering activities.
It was for his child’s education, Wan Ahmad told bankers.
However, the balance shot to A$320,000 within a month.
Timeline
The Sydney Morning Herald said the account received a flurry of suspicious cash deposits.
Here is a timeline that led to the seizure of the bank account.
Unknown depositors visited branches and ATMs around the country.
They were frequently depositing money into the account.
The account balance grew by nearly $290,000 in a month.
The deposits were mostly below $10,000.
The CID director was a frequent visitor to Australia from 2011 onwards.
Notably, this is when the account was opened.
From 2011 to 2012 he declared $112,000 to Australian customs.
In December 2012, one day after he arrived in Australia, $30,000 landed in the account.
The deposits were made at Merrylands, Ryde, Strathfield and Burwood.
However, for several years, the account laid dormant.
But in September 2016, cash deposits from five different states began pouring in.
Consequently, this was during Wan Ahmad’s final trip to Australia.
The Commonwealth Bank and the financial crime tracker AUSTRAC became alarmed.
An affidavit from a police officer questions the form and manner of the deposits.
Significantly, it says there does not appear to be any apparent lawful reason for such deposits.
It also said the transfer was made by Wan Ahmad’s close friend, Seenisirajudeen Mohamad Basith.
Furthermore, Seenisirajudeen, an Indian national has since returned to India.