A former gold mining company chief executive and his two children, accused of defrauding the Sabah government, will return to court next month.

Datuk Lo Fui Ming, 69, the former CEO of Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd, faces 24 charges of fraud. His son, Lo Teck Yong, 43, a former director of the company, is accused of abetting the offence.

His daughter, Lo Choon Fung, the director of Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd, also faces separate charges related to document forgery.

The Special Corruption Sessions Court set April 24 as the next hearing date after the prosecution received a representation letter from the defence.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecutor Dzulkarnain Rousan Hasbi said the case was originally set for the submission of documents, but the defence had submitted additional representations to MACC headquarters.

“The prosecution has requested a new date to review the status of these representations,” he told the court.

Defence lawyer Zahir Shah confirmed that another representation had been sent to the MACC’s legal division following the previous hearing.

“I have spoken to the Deputy Public Prosecutor handling this case, who said more time is needed to obtain instructions from the MACC’s Head of Legal Affairs. We have agreed on April 24 for the next mention,” he said.

Fui Ming is charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code, while Teck Yong faces 24 counts under Section 109 for abetting the offence.

They are accused of misleading the Sabah Land and Survey Department by failing to declare the actual quantity of gold bars in invoices and production reports.

The gold bars were allegedly sold illegally to another company, resulting in financial losses for the state government.

In October 2023, the father and son were charged in the sessions court with 24 counts each of cheating the Sabah government by not declaring the full proceeds from gold bar sales, which allegedly led to RM1.3 million in lost royalties.

The prosecution claims that they illegally sold 26 gold bars without declaring them in invoices submitted to the Land and Survey Department, which determines royalty payments for gold extracted from Bukit Mantri in Tawau.

The alleged offences took place between October 2019 and March 2023.

If convicted, they face up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both.

Meanwhile, Fui Ming and Choon Fung are charged with four counts of using forged documents as genuine.

They are accused of submitting falsified letters under Southsea Gold Sdn Bhd’s name, titled “Unauthorised Occupation Of Southsea Gold Lease Land For Mining Operations”, on four occasions between 2020 and 2022.

The charges fall under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 and read together with Section 34.

If found guilty, they could face up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. – March 17, 2025