Kota Kinabalu: A 27-year-old Filipina was fined RM10,000, in default two months’ jail, for overstaying in Sabah after her special pass had expired.
Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain meted out the sentence to Jessibel Tulio Espinosa after she pleaded guilty to the charge against her.
Jessibel was arrested after it was found that her document had expired during an inspection at a grocery shop in Penampang on Feb 26 this year.
The offence under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, punishable under Section 15(4) of the same Act, provides for a fine of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
She paid the fine.
In the same court, 15 illegal immigrants were each sentenced to four months’ jail for entering the state illegally.
All of them pleaded guilty to charges framed under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution told the court that all the illegal immigrants were detained in separate operations across the state after failing to produce their valid travel documents.
The court ordered the illegal immigrants, comprising Filipino and Indonesian nationals, to serve their jail sentences from the date of their arrests.
Upon completion of their jail terms, the court ordered them to be referred to the Immigration Department for further action.
Prosecuting officers Gressia Yolanda Ismail Uvaraj, Kamrul Md Yusof and Chin Tze Mee from the Immigration Department appeared for the prosecution.
