By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Oct 14: The High Court here sentenced an Indonesian to eight years’ imprisonment for smuggling six Indonesian migrants.
Mukhisin, 45, pleaded guilty.
High Court Judge Datuk Supang Lian in her decision today said, the accused had committed an offence under Section 26A of Anti Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which is to be viewed as serious as well as a security offence.
She ruled the imprisonment term to take effect from the date of arrest and the van seized during his arrest to be forfeited to the government of Malaysia and to be disposed of by the enforcement officer.
Mukhisin was charged with smuggling six Indonesian migrants, aged between 20 and 49, and comprising five males and one female, at the exit point of the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Tebedu centre on November 10, 2018.
He was charged under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
According to the facts of the case, the accused had arrived at the bus parking area in Tebedu around 7am, where a van was already waiting with migrants and goods. The accused then asked the passengers to get into the back of the van.
At around 8.25 am, at the exit point of the ICQS Tebedu centre, the accused drove the van through the exit route, passing through the customs check for goods and was stopped by Immigration officers.
Upon inspection, the officers found the six Indonesian passengers hiding at the back of the van, hidden amongthe goods as though the van is packed with goods to be delivered only.
The six Indonesian passengers and the accused had failed to produce valid travel documents. The six Indonesian passengers admitted they paid the driver to arrange for them to go back to Indonesia from Tebedu, Sarawak.
The six Indonesian passengers were found to have committed an offence under Section 6(1) of Act 155 for entering Malaysia without valid travel documents and were convicted and sentenced to an imprisonment of four months and a stroke of rotan in Semuja Sessions Court on November 14, 2018.
DPP Nurul Asyikin Rosli and DPP Wan Imaan Ikhwan prosecuted while Francis Teron Kadap represented the accused. — DayakDaily
