Nov 9 case management for Tawau human trafficking case

TAWAU: The High Court fixed November 9 for pre-trial management of the case of a 54year-old local man who is charged with transporting 40 migrants.

Judicial Commissioner Dr Hj Alwi Hj Abdul Wahab fixed the date for Chong San Wui, 54, who is charged under Section 26J of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Migrant Trafficking 2007 which provides for imprisonment of not exceeding five years and a fine of not more than RM250,000 upon conviction.

The charge read that the accused had transported the migrants aged two to 52, who had been smuggled into Sabah on July 18, at about 4.30am in front of Nuruh Hidayah Mosque, Sawit Kinabalu Kalabakan Estate, Kalabakan.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Khairunnizam Mohd Ideres prosecuted, while the accused was defended by counsel Ram Singh.

Meanwhile, the same High Court yesterday sentenced a 32year-old skipper to three years' jail for smuggling out migrants.

Alwi meted out the sentence on Budiman Ismail bin Majid who pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 26J of the AntiHuman Trafficking and AntiMigrant Trafficking 2007, which provides imprisonment of not more than five years and a fine of not more than RM250,000 upon conviction.

The court also ordered the Indonesian to be referred to the Immigration Department for deportation after serving sentence.

In his plea, the accused pleaded for leniency as he has a pregnant wife in Sitangkai, Philippines.

The accused had used a ‘jongkong' boat to transport and smuggle out nine migrants aged between 10 to 56 in the vicinity of Wallace Bay waters about 12.30pm on July 7.