Mule Account Lawyer in Kota Kinabalu

A mule investigation reaches your Kota Kinabalu account

You have just learned your account is being investigated as a mule account in Kota Kinabalu. If you live outside the city, your first worry may be practical: how do you get help from where you are?

Nothing has been decided yet, and distance does not close your options. What matters is getting advice before you give a statement.

The offence in plain words

The offences are federal and apply the same across Malaysia, Sabah included. Giving someone else control of your own account without lawful authority or purpose is a crime under the Penal Code ^[f1]. Transactions through an account without a lawful purpose are treated as the most serious form ^[f2].

What is different in Sabah is not the law but the courts and the lawyers who handle it. Your case turns on the facts about your account.

Sabah’s own courts and lawyers’ association

Kota Kinabalu is served by the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, which sits in the city. Mule offences are tried in the Magistrates’ Court or Sessions Court, and the prosecution decides which.

So ask whether the lawyer appears in the Sabah courts, which is worth knowing when finding legal help.

Getting a lawyer from KK or a remote district

Distance can make things harder in Sabah, but it does not stop you acting. The national Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK/CCID) at Bukit Aman handles these cases ^[f3]. The Sabah police contingent (IPK) and the district police HQ (IPD) are the local offices. Your account may also show on the PDRM Semak Mule portal ^[f4].

You can send a first message from anywhere. A lawyer can advise you before questioning and represent you at the hearings in KK. If you are arrested, Article 5(3) of the Federal Constitution gives you the right to a lawyer of your choice ^[f5].

Legal aid in Sabah

If cost is a worry, the Legal Aid Department (Jabatan Bantuan Guaman) has a Sabah office for people whose income qualifies.

See the Sabah page and the mule account defence guide for how a defence is built.

What to send first

You do not need to be in the city or know the process first. A few lines on what happened with your account, and where you live, are enough for a lawyer to explain your options.

Court and police in Kota Kinabalu

The Sabah state courts are listed at Kompleks Kehakiman Kota Kinabalu, No.1 Jalan Kebajikan ^[f6]. After a charge, bail is a right for these offences. The court or police set the amount and conditions.

A statement may be taken at the Kota Kinabalu or Penampang district headquarters ^[f7]. Ask to speak to a lawyer first. The Sabah Law Society runs a Legal Aid Clinic in the city ^[f8].

Sources

1. https://www.lawnet.com.my/penal-code
2. https://www.rmp.gov.my/
3. https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/
4. https://www.lawnet.com.my/federal-constitution
5. https://sabah.kehakiman.gov.my/ms/directory/labuan
6. https://www.rmp.gov.my/direktori/direktori-pdrm/sabah
7. https://www.sabahlawsociety.org/for-public/legal-aid-clinic