SIBU, Feb 20: Two local men charged with illegal timber possession are facing three months imprisonment for failing to pay a fine of RM35,000 and payment to the Sarawak government of RM12,584.50 each as ordered by Sibu Sessions Court here today.
According to a report by the Forestry Department Sarawak (FDS), both Ricky Kamarau and Muhammad Iskandar Hakimi Abdullah are from Sibu.
According to the facts of the case, both committed the offence by carrying a load of 44 logs using a lorry at around 12.20am in Pasai Siong, Sibu, on July 9, 2021.
The offence is committed under Section 96(1) Forests Ordinance 2015 (Cap. 71) for illegally possessing forest products and read together with sections 79(2), 96(3) and 99 of the same Ordinance.
The court also ordered that the lorry be confiscated as evidence and handed over for disposal by the FDS.
Judge Marutin Pagan ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
FDS director Datu Hamden Mohammad emphasised that this is a severe offence involving illegal possession and smuggling of forest products, and strict action must be taken.
The prosecution from the FDS was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Ronald Felix Hardin from the Sarawak Attorney General’s Chamber, and the proceedings were also attended by several officials from the FDS. — DayakDaily
