Restaurant manager fined RM35,000 for employing, harbouring illegals

KOTA KINABALU: A restaurant manager was fined a total of RM35,000 for employing three illegal immigrants and allowing another illegal immigrant to stay in her premises.

Sessions Court judge Azreena Aziz imposed the fine on Nikmah Johnny, 26, after the latter pleaded guilty to both charges, which were read to her, yesterday.

Nikmah was fined RM10,000, in default, two months’ jail for each illegal immigrant employed at a restaurant at Papar Commercial Centre, Papar at 10.20am on April 17.

She had employed two women and a man and was fined RM30,000.

The offence was framed under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63 which carries a fine of between RM10,000 and RM50,000 or a jail term of up to a year, or both, for each illegal immigrant involved, upon conviction.

Nikmah then received another RM5,000 fine, in default, a month’s jail for permitting a man who had no valid travel document to stay in a room at the same restaurant on the same day and time.

In mitigation, Nikmah, who was not represented, prayed for a lenient sentence because she did not have enough money to pay for the fines while prosecuting officer Assistant Superintendent of Police Sabrina Jinius requested for an appropriate sentence to be imposed against Nikmah.

The court ordered Nikmah to pay the RM5,000 fine yesterday while the balance of the RM30,000 fines were allowed to be paid in three installments.

Meanwhile, twelve men and four women were jailed four and five months each for entering the state illegally.

The judge imposed the sentence on the foreigners after they pleaded guilty to each of their charge under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Some of the men were also ordered to be given a stroke of the cane each except for the young offenders and women.

The court ordered the foreigners to serve the jail sentence from the date of their arrests and to be referred to the Immigration Department after serving their sentence.