Kota Kinabalu: A 51-year-old Indonesian woman was sentenced by the Sessions Court here to a total of 10 months’ jail for entering Sabah without a valid pass and for illegally re-entering the state after being deported.
Mariani Muda pleaded guilty to both charges before Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain.
For the first charge, she was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for entering Sabah without a valid pass, an offence under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
On the second charge, Mariani was jailed for a further six months for unlawfully entering Malaysia after having been lawfully removed from the country on July 18, 2024.
The offences were detected on Jan 8 this year, at 10.50am, at a restaurant in Likas Plaza.
Under Section 6 of the Immigration Act, an offender is liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or to imprisonment for up to five years, or to both, and may also be whipped.
Meanwhile, Section 36 of the same Act provides for a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, and the offender may also be whipped and removed from Malaysia.
The court ordered the two jail sentences to run consecutively.
In a related case, two other foreigners, both Filipinos, were also convicted for entering Sabah without valid passes. They were each sentenced to four months’ jail after pleading guilty to the charges.
The court further ordered that all foreigners be referred to the Immigration Department upon completion of their respective jail terms.
Immigration Department Prosecuting Officer Gressia Yolanda Ismail Uvaraj handled the prosecution.
