Kota Kinabalu: An 18-year-old Bajau Laut charged with illegal entry was released on bail after he managed to provide supporting documents proving he was born in Sabah.
Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain granted bail of RM2,000 in a local surety to Mohd Nico Ansboy, who is currently a student at an alternative learning centre operated by an NGO.
Advertisement
_E.jpg)
The court also ordered the surety to be the principal of the learning centre, and Mohd Nico must report to a police station here once a month.
Among the documents submitted to the court by counsel Sherzali Herza Asli were a statutory declaration by the Ketua Kampung, a vaccination letter, and a Borang A, which is an application document for the National Registration Department.
Mohd Nico, whose detention recently drew attention on social media over the stateless issue in Sabah, was released on police bail before being charged in court.
On April 2, Mohd Nico pleaded not guilty to being found in Sabah without any valid pass to enter or remain in Malaysia on March 15 this year, at the One Borneo Mall area at 3pm.
Advertisement
The charge, under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, provides for a fine of up to RM10,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both, and is also liable to whipping of up to six strokes upon conviction.
The court set April 30 for pre-trial case management.
Earlier, Sherzali applied for bail, submitting supporting documents to prove that Mohd Nico was born in Sabah.
Inspector Deanivo Sittin objected to bail, stating that Mohd Nico is an undocumented individual without any valid identification or legal status in the country.
He said this raises serious concerns regarding the true identity of the accused, which to date has not been satisfactorily verified.
