KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman named Barin Sweat (pic) had more to sweat about after being brought to court over a case of cheating involving nearly RM400,000.
Sweat, 39, was charged on Tuesday with conning self-employed businessman Mohd Sharif Bajuri, 41, into giving him RM350,000 in cash over a period of time, with the promise of making a profit.
The alleged offence occurred at a recreational park near the Al Adzim mosque, in Pandan Indah, Ampang Jaya, betweeen 3pm and 8pm on Oct 22.
Sweat faces up to 10 years prison, whipping, and a fine if found guilty of the charge, under Sectuon 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The Gambian national was also charged before the Ampang Magistrates Court, with entering the country without any legal travel documents, an offence under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963, which is punishable by up to five years prison, a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or both.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurakmal Farhan Aziz asked the court for additional time in order to get more documents from the Gambian embassy, and to allow Sweat to appoint a lawyer.
The investigating officer in the case revealed that Sweat was mistakenly identified as a national of Georgia, an Eastern European country, though the accused later said he was from The Gambia, a Western African nation.
Magistrate Zulyana Zollkapli fixed Dec 9 for mention, and did not grant bail as Sweat was a foreign national with no passport.
