KLANG: Five men were charged in the Sessions Court here today for allegedly smuggling 19 Myanmar nationals at an apartment in Hulu Langat earlier this month.
Muhammad Azalmie Ahmad Razali, 25; Muhammad Irwan Syapawi Che Hamid, 34; Mazlan Derahman, 39; Hazif Yusof, 46; and Mohamad Yusof Zulkipli, 29, nodded in acknowledgment as the charges were read before Judge Mohd Sabri Ismail.
No pleas were recorded as the case falls under the High Court’s jurisdiction.
They, along with another individual who remains at large, are accused of conspiring to smuggle the 19 Myanmar nationals at the Hulu Langat apartment at 8 am on Aug 5.
They were charged under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum 20-year prison term and a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Norhidayah Abdullah Sani did not offer bail for all the accused and requested that the case be transferred to the High Court.
Their lawyer applied for bail, arguing there was no risk of them absconding, and proposed a sum of RM10,000 per person.
The court then granted all the prosecution’s requests.
At the same proceeding, the same charges against four other Myanmar nationals, including a 34-year-old woman, were not read out as they did not understand Bahasa Malaysia.
Judge Mohd Sabri set Sept 9 for a case mention to allow a Myanmar interpreter to be present and denied bail for all the accused. – Bernama