Kota Kinabalu: Three foreigners were sentenced to jail terms by the Sessions Court here for overstaying in Malaysia, while 11 undocumented migrants were each jailed for illegally entering Sabah.
Sanga Eliando Bala, 19, Maricel Calma Apas, 45, and Tagalogon Recem @ Tagalogon Curambao Recem, 42, pleaded guilty to the respective charges before Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain.
Sanga and Maricel were detained at about 8.30pm on Oct 14 along Jalan Bundusan, in front of Petron Bundusan, while Tagalogon was detained at about 1.29pm on the same day at Taman Friendly here.
Sanga had overstayed for one year, three months and eight days, while Maricel had overstayed for three years and 29 days. Tagalogon had overstayed for one month and 15 days.
The offence, under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine of at least RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
The court sentenced Sanga and Maricel to 12 months in jail each, while Tagalogon was jailed for six months. All three sentences are to run from their respective dates of arrest.
Upon completing their sentences, they will be referred to the Immigration Department for further action.
In a separate case, 11 undocumented migrants appeared in court for illegally entering Sabah. They comprised six Filipino men, four Filipino women and an Indonesian national.
Each was sentenced to four months in jail, with the sentences to run from their respective dates of arrest.
The offence is punishable under Section 6(1)(c), read together with Section 6(3), of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Immigration officers Gressia Yolanda Ismail Uvaraj and Kamarul Yusof prosecuted the cases.
