PUTRAJAYA: The government has gone to the Court of Appeal seeking a forfeit of money and properties belonging to 42 individuals and companies alleged to have been involved in online gambling.
Its earlier bid against the individuals and companies was dismissed by the George Town High Court which held that the government failed to prove the case on a balance of probability.
The court then said “online gambling” was not defined under Section 4B of the Common Gaming Houses Act, and as such the law could not be used to battle online gambling.
High Court Justice Radzi Abdul Hamid also said that laws such as the Common Gaming Houses Act and the Betting Act “have not caught up with the times and they have not been updated to include express provisions for making online gambling illegal”.
Lawyer Guok Ngek Seong, appearing for two companies named as respondents, said the Court of Appeal fixed Jan 31 and Feb 13 for case management.
In 2020, the government filed an application under Section 56 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (Amla) seeking the forfeit of funds in accounts linked to online gambling activities.
Besides the bank accounts, the authorities also wanted to take ownership of a house in Country Heights, Kajang, as well as five vehicles.
When dismissing the forfeiture bid, the court said the government had failed to apply the correct law in proving the predicate offence.
