Sarawakian fined for bringing dogs illegally into Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: A Sarawakian lorry driver was fined RM10,000, in default, five months’ jail by the Sessions Court here on Thursday for importing 10 dogs of Schnauzer, Welsh Corgi, Chihuahua and Poodle breeds without license and one of the dogs had been diagnosed with rabies.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat imposed the fine on Alex Liaw, 33, after the latter pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 15 (2) of the Animals Enactment 2015.
The indictment carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
In passing the sentence, the judge among others said that one of the dogs brought into Sabah by the accused were diagnosed with rabies.
If these dogs bit humans, they will be 99.9 percent infected with rabies and will die.
The judge also said that the accused could not use the excuse of ignorant of law as he could ask what he should do to bring these dogs to Sabah.
Liaw was caught for illegally importing the six female and four male dogs at the Sindumin Sabah Department Veterinary Services quarantine station office in Sipitang on December 8, 2020.
The facts of the case stated that the accused failed to produce import license issued by the Sabah Department of Veterinary Services as well as health certificates of the animals issued by export country.
Investigation revealed that the dogs were brought into Sabah from Sarawak through ICQ Merapok.
In mitigation, the unrepresented accused prayed for a lenient fine be imposed on him. The accused also said that this was his first offence and he claimed that he had no knowledge about the said law.
In reply, Sabah Department Veterinary Services prosecuting officer Dr Zul Bahar Abd Rashid urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused to serve him as a lesson not to repeat a similar offence in future.
Zul Bahar also submitted that two of the dogs died at the quarantine station and one diagnosed with rabies. The prosecution said that since 2017, 35 people had been infected with the virus and 33 had died.