Jan.04, 2010, From: thestar online

A chief executive who has been charged with money laundering is in more trouble — a police report has been lodged against him alleging fraud in a rental car investment scheme.

Some 70 people lodged the report against Noradz Travel and Services Sdn Bhd at the Ampang Jaya police station yesterday, claiming they did not receive dividends which were promised to them after investing thousands of ringgit in the scheme.

On Dec 22, the company’s chief executive Datuk Adzhar Sulaiman and his two daughters – Noradzma Adzhar and Noradzrin Adzhar – were charged in the Sessions Court here with 360 counts of money laundering amounting to RM60mil.

Earlier in October, the company was raided by Bank Negara on suspicion of illegal deposit taking and money laundering.

According to investors, the company invited them to put in money and they were promised regular dividends.

The victims said in a statement which was distributed to the press that they invested RM3,300 for a car. They had been promised monthly dividends of RM250 for each car.

They claimed that the number of investors numbered in the thousands and most of them were bumiputras from all over the country.

They added that the investors were from all walks of life, including police officers, teachers, single mothers, villagers and orphanage houses.

A victim, who only wanted to be known as Alai, 27, felt confident with the scheme because the company drew up an impressive agreement.

“They showed pictures of the rented cars which were supposedly from our investments,” he said.

Alai invested a total of RM48,000 since he started in 2007 and received dividends regularly until November last year when it stopped.

Another investor, clerk Siti Norazura Nazarudin, 24, from Seremban who had invested RM20,000 for 10 cars since 2005, said she contacted Adzhar the moment she learnt about the Bank Negara raid.

“He said the investigation was only temporary and everything would be back to normal. He also paid my dividend with a cheque but the cheque bounced,” she said.

The investors said they learnt of the scheme through word of mouth.

Those interested would be invited to attend seminars at luxury hotels. The scheme was also advertised in newspapers.

The company also said they had agents nationwide to attract more investors.