Kota Kinabalu: Two China nationals were each fined RM1,800 or jailed seven months by the Magistrate’s Court, here, for using fake boarding passes to pass through the domestic arrival hall at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).
Wei Zhan and Nong Chunzhao pleaded guilty before Magistrate Marilyn Kelvin to using forged boarding passes as genuine at about 2.52pm on Sept 2 this year.
Wei used a fake AirAsia boarding pass for a flight from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu, while Nong used a fake Batik Air Malaysia boarding pass for the same route and date.
Both were charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465, which provides for imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both upon conviction.
The court heard that the two men were checked by the complainant while using e-boarding passes to leave Domestic Arrival Hall 3 at KKIA.
Checks found that the boarding passes had no records in the respective airlines’ systems and were suspected to be fake.
Further checks with AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia found that the two men were not recorded as passengers on the respective flights.
The complainant then suspected that the men had attempted to leave through the domestic arrival hall without undergoing Immigration checks by using the fake e-boarding passes.
Counsel Luke Ressa Balang, representing both men, requested a lower fine, saying they had been detained for eight days, pleaded guilty, saved the court’s time and had shown remorse.
He also said both men had valid passports. Inspector Yusdi Basri, prosecuting, applied for a deterrent sentence.
