Businessman Yong Chee Kong has finally been cleared of accusations of being a scammer after two years of enduring a nightmare. In 2021, Yong had offered to donate vaccine doses to the government, but he was wrongly implicated and accused of being involved in a scam. However, in May this year, he received a letter from the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) stating that investigations had proven his innocence.
Yong’s lawyer, Wong Su Lynn, revealed that since the news of the alleged scam broke, he had been bombarded with calls from investors, clients, and banks questioning his credibility. Banks had been reluctant to conduct business with him due to the negative publicity.
During a press conference held on August 1, Wong expressed the desire to clear Yong’s name and restore his image, stating that he wants to put all the confusion behind him. Wong also clarified that Yong does not want this matter to be politicized, especially during the ongoing state elections in several states in the peninsula.
When asked if this scandal would discourage Yong from making future donations, Wong confirmed that Yong remains committed to donating to rightful causes. She added, “He will continue to donate to other rightful causes.”
According to the AGC’s letter, investigations revealed that the company associated with Yong, Xintai Development Enterprise, does not actually exist. The letter acknowledged that Yong mistakenly stated the wrong name in his vaccine donation proposal, and the correct name of his company is Xintai Enterprise Development.
Based on these findings, the AGC classified the police report against Yong as ‘No Further Action’ as no offences were committed. The issue began in May 2021, when Yong offered to donate two million doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to Penang. A similar offer was made to the Sabah government, but it was declined due to the vaccine’s lack of approval at that time.
The situation worsened when a letter supposedly prepared by Yong’s company contained typographical errors in the name of his Hong Kong-based company. Yong later clarified that the name of the company mentioned in the letter, Xintai Development Enterprise Ltd, was incorrect, and the correct name is Xintai Enterprise Development Ltd.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
