Court fixes Feb 19 for trial of former Miri MP’s RM10 mln lawsuit against bank

MIRI (Jan 23): The Miri High Court here today fixed Feb 19 for the trial of an RM10 million lawsuit filed by former Miri MP Dr Michael Teo Yu Kheng against a bank.

Senior Assistant Registrar Mohammad Helmi Ahmad Jani fixed the new trial date after Judge Dean Wayne Daly, who was supposed to preside over the case, was not present due to other official duties.

Dr Teo is seeking RM5 million in aggravated damages and another RM5 million in exemplary damages from the defendants.

He named United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad as the first defendant, while bank officers Cassandra Ang Beng Chin and Chia Pueh Yii are the second and third defendants respectively.

Dr Teo claimed he lost more than RM1 million, which he kept with the bank since 2014.

According to him, he had placed S$250,000 in a fixed deposit with UOB Bank Miri.

Upon its maturity in 2016, he claimed the amount had accumulated to approximately RM800,000.

“When I wanted to withdraw the money, I was surprised when the bank officer told me that all the money in my account had disappeared.

“Not only that, I also learnt that a sum of S$22,700 was also taken out of my account without my knowledge and approval,” he said.

Dr Teo said he then lodged a police report in Miri and copies of the report were sent to Parliament, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Ministry of Finance.