GEORGE TOWN: A police report has been lodged by an investigating officer (IO) after a probe showed that JJPTR’s scheme involved investments amounting to RM1.7bil.

Penang police chief Comm Datuk Chuah Ghee Lye said two police reports had been lodged in Penang so far – one from the public and the other from the IO.

“The IO’s report was to enable him to conduct an investigation into the matter. The bulk of the investigation is being handled by a task force made up of representatives of Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Department, Bank Negara, the Companies Com­mis­sion and other agencies.

“I am unable to give further details as all the documents are with the task force.

“We are just assisting in the case,” he told reporters after a luncheon with the Penang Community Policing members here yesterday.

Comm Chuah said 19 JJPTR employees and investors detained during a raid at the company’s offi­ces in Penang had been released after having their statements recorded.

The police, he said, had not picked up JJPTR founder Johnson Lee, who was being investigated based on the reports. “If the need arises, we will detain him.”

Comm Chuah urged victims to come forward and lodge police reports so that the matter could be thoroughly investigated.

When contacted, a JJPTR emplo­yee assured The Star that its company dinner on Saturday would proceed as scheduled.

“We have not received any instruction to cancel it. I think the boss (Lee) will still attend the dinner,” he said, adding however that all JJPTR offices were ordered to close for an indefinite period from Friday.

China Press had quoted a police source as saying that the authorities did not rule out the possibility of arresting Lee should he attend the dinner.

“The police are looking for Lee as he is the key person in the case. If he fails to turn up to help in our investigation, we may pick him up at the dinner event,” said the source.

JJPTR had announced in March that it would be organising a company dinner at Berjaya Times Square to celebrate its second anniversary. Each ticket for the vegetarian dinner costs RM400.

JJPTR grabbed the headlines a few weeks ago when Lee claimed that the company lost US$400mil (RM1.738bil) due to a purported “hacking job”.

Investors panicked when the 20% monthly interest they were promised was not deposited into their accounts in April.

Last Wednesday, Lee appeared at the Kampung Kasipillay commu­nity centre in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, to return the capital of some 100 JJPTR investors with disabilities.

According to a JJPTR employee, the investors were refunded between US$25 (RM108) and US$4,000 (RM17,388) each.

Two days later, the company’s eight offices in Penang were raided.