KOTA KINABALU: The Sessions Court here today ordered former Sabah State Water Department (JANS) director Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 62, his wife Fauziah Piut, 59, and former JANS deputy director Lim Lam Beng, 70, to enter their defence on 37 charges of money laundering after the prosecution successfully established a prima facie case against them. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judge Abu Bakar Manat scheduled the defence proceedings for February 26 to 28 and April 28 to 30 next year. In delivering his decision at the end of the prosecution's case, Judge Abu Bakar revealed that witness testimony indicated RM23.69 million in cash was found and confiscated from Ag Mohd Tahir's office at Wisma Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS). Furthermore, RM8.56 million was discovered at the couple's home, RM9.19 million from a Mazda vehicle, and RM4.13 million from a Mercedes-Benz. The seized assets also included foreign currencies such as US Dollars, Pound Sterling, Euros, UAE Dirhams, Thai Baht, Chinese Yuan, Hong Kong Dol lars, Japanese Yen, Vietnamese Dong, South Korean Won, Saudi Riyals, Singapore Dollars, and Indonesian Rupiah. Additionally, another RM4.15 million held in Ag Mohd Tahir's bank accounts was taken by authorities. Throughout the trial, based on witness testimonies and the substantial sums of cash discovered at multiple locations, the court is convinced that the prosecution has demonstrated that Ag Mohd Tahir abused his role as the director of the Sabah State Water Department. He was reportedly involved in illegal activities, particularly through a centralised collection scheme that operated from 2005 to 2016. Judge Abu Bakar emphasized that the centralised collection scheme could not have been executed without Ag Mohd Tahir's knowledge, direction, approval, and involvement. During investigations and cross-examinations of prosecution witnesses, the accused failed to account for the source of the confiscated cash. The same applied to the luxury cars and watches found in Ag Mohd Tahir's possession during the rai ds. The judge further highlighted that Fauziah had over RM2.22 million in her personal bank accounts and owned 921 pieces of jewellery and 93 luxury handbags. The total value of the charges against her exceeded RM6 million, raising questions about the source of income or funds that enabled Fauziah to acquire such assets. She also failed to explain the source of these funds during the investigation. Based on the discoveries, witness testimonies, documents, and circumstantial evidence, the court is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Fauziah, through her husband Ag Mohd Tahir, was involved in possessing illegal proceeds. While Fauziah was not directly involved in the centralised collection scheme, her possession of proceeds from unlawful activities constitutes an offence under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLA) 2001. Ag Mohd Tahir faces one charge under Section 4(1)(a) of the AMLA and 11 charges under Section 4(1)(b ) of the same Act. Ag Mohd Tahir and Fauziah are jointly charged with two offences under Section 4(1)(b) of the AMLA, while Fauziah and Lim also face 19 and four charges, respectively, under the same section and Act.