Joko (left) and Aprizal are led away after sentencing.
KUCHING (April 3): An Indonesian man was sentenced to two years in jail today for engaging in the conveyance of five smuggled migrants.
High Court judge Alexander Siew How Wai imposed the sentence on Aprizal Suherman, 29, after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 26J of Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Aprizal committed the offence at the checkout counter of the Biawak Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex in Lundu at 7.02am on April 18, 2023.
Based on the facts of the case, a police team spotted a vehicle bearing Indonesian licence plates and stopped it for inspection.
The vehicle driven by the accused was found to be transporting five Indonesian migrants who were later confirmed by the Malaysian Immigration Department to have overstayed in Sarawak.
Separately, another Indonesian man was sentenced to 18 months in jail after he pleaded guilty in the same court to committing the same offence.
Joko Minto, 29, committed the offence at the compound of a house in Kampung Biawak, Lundu at 5.05am on April 18, 2023.
Based on the facts of the case, a police team conducting an Ops Bersepadu operation stopped a car driven by Joko for inspection and found two Indonesian women inside.
The women were later confirmed by the Malaysian Immigration Department to have overstayed in the country.
It was informed that the smuggled migrants in both cases had pleaded guilty to overstaying, and sentenced accordingly under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1953/63.
Deputy public prosecutor Kong Siew Chuo prosecuted both cases, while Aprizal and Joko were represented by lawyers Steven Beti and Gerald Empaling Donald, respectively.
