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Kota Kinabalu: Twenty Chinese men and a Taiwanese woman claimed trial in the Magistrates' Courts here on Monday to a charge of criminal conspiracy linked to an alleged non-existent investment scheme.

The accused, aged between 21 and 37, pleaded not guilty before Magistrates Marilyn Kelvin, Dzul Elmy Yunus and Wan Farrah Farriza Wan Ghazali after the charge was read to them in Mandarin.

They were jointly charged with allegedly conspiring among themselves to dishonestly induce victims into believing in the existence of a non-existent investment scheme, an offence allegedly committed in a hotel room at Bandaran Berjaya here at about 10pm on May 21 this year.

The charge was framed under Section 120B(1) of the Penal Code and, upon conviction, carries a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both pursuant to Section 417 of the Penal Code.

The courts fixed June 12 for mention and ordered the accused to be further remanded pending verification of their travel documents after the prosecution objected to bail on flight-risk grounds, while the defence informed the courts that all the accused possessed valid travel documents and sought time to make further submissions.