PUTRAJAYA: The Chief Judge of Malaya (CJM) and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak (CJSS) have directed court officials to inform them of any judicial review applications and criminal appeals filed by parties seeking to challenge the court order related to offences involving the Movement Control Order (MCO).
This is to ensure the hearing dates for these matters are fixed on an urgent basis and for the matters to be heard in open court.
Chief Registrar of the Federal Court Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh informed High Court deputy registrars and senior assistant registrars of the directive given by CJM Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed and CJSS Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.
He told the court officials this in a letter dated today which was sighted by the media.
Magistrates’ and sessions Courts throughout the country had sentenced offenders to jail terms of several days and months and fines of between several hundred and RM1,000 as well as a Compulsory Attendance Order (PKW), a community service programme, for some offenders including senior citizens and juveniles for flouting the MCO.
The most common offence was failing to comply with the MCO by moving from one place to another in any of the infected areas under Regulation 3 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Local Areas) Regulations 2020, which provides for a maximum jail term of six months and a fine of up to RM1,000 or both.
Some were also charged with obstructing civil servants from performing their duties during the MCO period under Section 186 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a fine of up to RM10,000 or both, upon conviction.
On March 25, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the MCO would be extended until April 14 to curb the spread of Covid-19. -Bernama
