Seven foreigners jailed for entering Sabah illegally

KOTA KINABALU: Seven foreigners have been sentenced to between four and five months in jail for entering Sabah illegally.

Sessions Court judge Azreena Aziz imposed the sentence on the seven foreigners after they all pleaded guilty as charged under Section 6 (1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

The indictment is punishable with a maximum fine of RM10,000 or a jail term of up to five years and with whipping, upon conviction.

Neneng Nahinal, 28, Abdul Kamal Jal, 35, Rasil Kasim, 27, and Sami Sakula, 38, were sentenced to four months jail, while Fitri Undik, 25, Karang Mendik, 41, and Husin Samsuri, 21, were sentenced to five months jail.

The court also ordered for the six men to be whipped once while the woman, Neneng, was spared because of her gender.

They were all arrested for entering the state without valid documents in the city here and at Manggatal between August and October.

In mitigation, the seven foreigners pleaded for a lenient sentence and said that some of them had worked as construction labourers while some as fishermen.

Prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Lim Swee Beng, however, urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused persons, who were not represented.

The court also ordered for all the foreigners to be referred to the Immigration Department for their biometrics data to be recorded before being deported back to their country.