SHAH ALAM: The Sessions Court here this morning acquitted and discharged Liow Wei Kin, who is the younger brother to controversial businessman "Datuk Seri Nicky", from tax evasion and money laundering charges.
Judge Norazlin Othman made the decision after deputy public prosecutor Shafinaz Shabudin informed the court that an agreement had been reached with the accused recently, and that Liow has paid RM4.147 million worth of unpaid taxes, special penalty, fine and compound for his money laundering charges.
She said that the compound was paid to the government via the Inland Revenue Board on July 3 recently.
Shafinaz initially requested for the charges against Liow to be nullified and for the court to order a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA).
However, Liow's lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh appealed for the court to grant full acquittal to his client, seeing that Liow has paid the sum and the charges were nullified.
Liow was previously charged on Sept 29, 2021, with three counts of incorrectly submitting tax return forms where he omitted sums of taxable annual incomes worth RM743,950 for 2017, RM958,250 for 2018, and RM953,300 for 2019.
He was accused of committing the offence on March 5, 2018, and Feb 12 and May 30 three years ago.
The three offences were framed under Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 which carries a sum of fine of between RM1,000 and RM10,000, and special penalty of twice the amount of underpaid tax, upon conviction.
He was also charged with one count of failing to declare RM444,474 income for tax returns for the year 2016 on May 16, 2017.
The offence fell under Section 112(1) of the same act that carries an amount of fine of between RM200 and RM20,000 as well as no more than six months' jail term or both upon conviction.
Apart from these charges, Liow previously faced four counts of having direct involvement in transactions involving proceeds from illegal activities amounting to RM779,894.95 under Section 4(1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).
Previously, he was also among the 14 people charged with being members of an organised crime group called the "Nicky Gang" on April 9, 2021 at Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
However, the Court of Appeal had freed all 14 of them on July 7 last year.
