By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Jan 19: The High Court here sentenced a man to two years imprisonment for his involvement in the conveyance of smuggling five Indonesians migrants into Sarawak.
Bester Endil,33, pleaded guilty to the charge framed here today.
High Court Judge Haji Alwi Haji Abdul Wahab accepted his guilty plea and convicted him as charged.
Jude Haji Alwi sentenced him to the imprisonment of two years, with effect from the date of arrest, which is December 2, 2020.
Bester was found to have committed the offence of conveyance of smuggling five Indonesian migrants in a Perodua Alza at the roadside near the Bau-Lundu-Sematan junction at about 9.25am, on December 2, 2020.
He was the driver of the said Perodua Alza carrying the five Indonesia migrants in the said vehicle.
He was charged under Section 26J of Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which carries a maximum imprisonment term of five years and liable to fine not exceeding RM250,000, or with both, upon conviction.
According to the brief facts of the case, all five migrants had engaged their agent to arrange for their journey to return to Indonesia and the accused was engaged by their agent to pick them up from Kuching City Mall and send them to somewhere near ICQS Biawak.
The accused who was driving a Perodua Alza was stopped by the officers from the Immigration Department of Malaysia and a search conducted by the Immigration officers found that all five migrants have resided in Malaysia after the expiration of their social visit pass.
DPP Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi prosecuted while the accused is unrepresented by Counsel. — DayakDaily
