Kota Kinabalu: Twelve illegal immigrants were jailed and fined for entering the State illegally.
All the twelve pleaded guilty separately before Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain, to entering the State without their valid documents.
Nine of them were jailed four months each while the rest were fined RM3,000 in default four months’ jail each.
The twelve comprising Filipinos and Indonesians were arrested at different places in the city, Sipitang and Tenom, recently after failing to produce their valid documents to the Immigration personnel during operations.
They committed the offence under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 provides for a jail term of up to five years, or a fine of up to RM10,000, and whipping, on conviction.
During mitigation, the illegal immigrants begged for leniency and to be deported to their hometown as soon as possible.
The court ordered them to serve the jail sentence from the date of their arrests and after serving the jail term, they were referred to the Immigration Department for deportation.
In the same court, nine Pakistanis were ordered to pay fine for overstaying.
Two of them were fined RM10,000 in default six months’ jail each while the other seven were fined RM10,000 or spend 12 months’ jail each.
They were detained during operations carried out by the Immigration personnel in Sipitang and Tenom, recently.
They had stayed in the State after their documents were expired for several months and years.
All of the Pakistanis had paid the fine and the court ordered them to refer to the Immigration Department for deportation.
Prosecuting Officer Chin Tze Mee from the Immigration Department appeared for the prosecution.
