Pangolin scales: Businessman to stand trial in April

KOTA KINABALU: The Sessions Court here has fixed April 1516 next year to hear the case of a businessman charged with attempting to export pangolin scales worth over RM100 million.

Sessions Court judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed set the trial date in the case of Chai Kok Hiong, 44, yesterday, after he pleaded not guilty to a charge framed under Section 135 (1)(a), punishable under Section 135 (1)(iii)(aa) of the Customs Act 1967, read together under Section 139 of the same Act.

The indictment provides for a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the goods and not more than 20 times the value of the goods, or a jail term not exceeding three years or both, upon conviction.

Chai was alleged to have attempted to export the pangolin scales worth RM100,570,080 found inside two shipping containers at Sepanggar Port here at 2.35 pm on July 13, 2017.

The pangolin scales, which are prohibited goods for export, were put inside 227 sacks which also contained sea shells weighing 8,058.5 kilogrammes.

The case was previously mentioned at the Magistrate’s Court here on September 24 but was later transferred to the Sessions Court on October 8.

The court allowed Chai to be released on RM80,000 bail in a local surety, pending disposal of the case.

Prosecuting officer Nanang Lumpat from the Customs Department prosecuted while Chai was represented by counsel Dominic Chew.