Two Bangladeshis, four Malaysians get heaviest penalties in local immigration history

PETALING JAYA: The Sepang Sessions Court sentenced two Bangladeshis to 20 years in jail and fined four Malaysians RM480,000 for allowing 24 illegal immigrants to enter and live in their premise.
On Wednesday, the court sentenced four Malaysians under Section 55E(1) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, for which they are liable to be fined RM480,000, failing which they would face a nine-year jail term.
The two Bangladeshis were charged under Section 55E(1) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
The duo, who were charged for guarding the premise and giving protection to the 24 illegal immigrants.
Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said in a statement today that these sentences were the heaviest penalties in the history of the Immigration's prosecution.
"All the accused were found to have knowledge that all those, who where brought into Malaysia are illegal immigrants as stipulated under Section 8 of the Immigration Act 1959/63," he said.
Mustafar said a team from the enforcement unit raided an unnamed multi-storey building at Jalan Hang Lekiu, Kuala Lumpur, recently and arrested 24 illegal immigrants from India, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
"The Immigration prosecuting officer has successfully proven a prima facie case against the six men, where they were owners and caretakers of the premise and had a common intention to allow the 24 illegal immigrants to live in their premise," he said.