By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 13: Two brothers were sentenced to two years in prison by the High Court here after pleading guilty to smuggling nine Indonesian migrants in Bau in May 2021, charging RM650 per migrant.
Judicial Commissioner Zaleha Mohd Yusuf Pan handed down the sentence to Sutiknor Kulil and Jayo Kulil, who admitted to the offence under Section 26J of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
The offence carries a maximum jail term of five years, a fine of up to RM250,000, or both upon conviction.
Based on case facts, police and military personnel conducted an inspection on a compact car driven by Sutiknor and a pickup truck driven by Jayo at Jalan Kampung Stass, Bau, around 4.15am on May 10, 2021.
The inspection found that they were transporting nine migrants who were en route back to Indonesia via Jalan Kampung Stass.
Following this, the two brothers and all the migrants were taken to the Bau District Police Headquarters for further investigation.
Investigations revealed that the migrants had gathered at the brothers’ house in Kampung Siol Kandis on May 9, 2021, before arrangements were made for their illegal departure from Sarawak.
The two brothers were found to have facilitated the smuggling of migrants out of Malaysia in exchange for payment.
The three of the migrants were also found to be staying in Malaysia without valid passes or permits. They were charged under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and have since received appropriate sentences.
Meanwhile, four other migrants were charged under Section 15(1)(c) of the same act for overstaying in Malaysia and were also sentenced accordingly. The remaining two migrants, who were minors, were repatriated to Indonesia.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff prosecuted the case, while the two brothers were represented by lawyer Fadzillah Ossman. – DayakDaily
