Malaysians just love to crack up

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian steward has been jailed for trying to leave Britain with £150,000 (RM807,300) in cash, which he initially said was for handbags and watches from Harrods.

The National Crime Agency (NCA), a British law enforcement agency, reported that Muhamad Aziz, 37, has been sentenced to 12 months’ jail after pleading guilty to money laundering charges at the Isleworth Crown Court last Thursday.

The report said Muhamad Aziz was about to fly on a flight from London to Kuala Lumpur when he was stopped by security officers at Heathrow Terminal 4 airport.

It said the officer then had alerted Border Force personnel after they found £100,000 (RM538,200) cash in a roller bag and £50,000 (RM269,100) in a black suit carrier when they were scanning his bags.

According to the report, Muhamad Aziz claimed he had brought the money in from abroad into the UK.

He also said he had initially wanted to spend the money on handbags and watches in Harrods, a department store.

However, Muhamad Aziz claimed that he was unable to spend the money as he was “too tired”.

The report added that he had also refused to explain two receipts he had from apparel store Primark, which was issued on the same day, including a customer registration card from a Malaysian money exchange bureau.

The report added that the Heathrow NCA operations manager Ian Truby had said that Muhamad Aziz’s story was “so far fetched as to be almost laughable”.

“He was a cabin crew member for 15 years and would well have known the regulations about carrying cash into and out of the country. It seems that he decided to use that employment as a cover for his criminality.

“Organised criminals rely on cash couriers like Muhamad Aziz to move their profits around – his was a key role in a long criminal chain – so tackling this illicit flow of money is a priority for us and our partners.

“The money found here will be forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime Act,” Truby was quoted as saying.

Malaysia Airlines in a statement said it has zero tolerance for any breeches of conduct.

“The airline upholds very strict policies and guidelines that govern staff conduct and all staff are required to adhere to the airline’s Code Of Business Conduct with the highest level of integrity.”