By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Aug 8: A 19-year-old Indonesian man has been sentenced to a total of 13 months in prison after admitting to operating an online gambling machine and entering Malaysia without valid travel documents.
In the Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali handed down a three-month jail term to the accused, identified as Julianto, for operating an illegal gambling machine in the form of a laptop computer.
He pleaded guilty to the offence under Section 4B(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which carries a fine of between RM10,000 and RM100,000 for each machine seized, as well as a possible jail term of up to five years.
The offence took place at about 12.30pm on July 24 in an apartment at Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.
Police raided the premises after receiving information about suspected gambling activities and arrested Julianto at the scene.
Officers seized a laptop believed to contain gambling software, along with a charger, a mouse, and a keyboard. An expert report later confirmed that the confiscated items were indeed used for online gambling operations.
Further checks revealed the teenager had no valid travel documents and had entered Malaysia illegally. Immigration Department records showed no record of his entry or exit.
In a separate proceeding at the Sessions Court, Julianto pleaded guilty to the immigration offence under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. Judge Zuraidah Zakaria sentenced him to 10 months’ imprisonment for the violation.
Both courts ordered that the accused be referred to the Immigration Department upon completing his sentence.
The gambling case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar, while the immigration charge was handled by DPP Umi Syukriah Harun. Julianto was not represented by a lawyer. — DayakDaily
