Court upholds prison sentences for four Indonesians for human trafficking

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has upheld the eight-year jail sentence imposed on four Indonesians for smuggling 37 Bangladeshis into Malaysia two years ago.

Appeals by Zainal Lampe, 45, Rosli Kitan, 43, Rusli Genep, 40, and Ajiman Rahman, 36, for a reduction in their sentences were rejected by the court's three-judge panel on Friday (July 5).

The panel, comprising Justices Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli, upheld the eight-year jail sentence imposed on the four men by the High Court.

Delivering the court's decision, Judge Ahmad Zaidi said the eight-year prison sentence was within the range of sentences given for such an offence.

“The appellants fail to demonstrate that the prison sentence imposed on them was severe,” he said.

According to the indictment, they illegally brought 37 Bangladeshis on an unregistered boat into Malaysian waters approximately 1.1 nautical miles from Kuala Sepang Kechil, Selangor at 00:10 on July 1, 2022.

On October 17, 2022, the four men pleaded guilty to the offence in the High Court and were sentenced to eight years in prison.

In their appeal to the Court of Appeal, the men asked for a reduction in their prison sentences, citing the burden of punishment and their responsibilities to their children.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Eyu Ghim Siang argued that the prison sentence imposed on the four men was fair and in line with sentencing trends for similar offences, ranging from seven to 10 years in prison.

He stressed that the smuggling of 37 migrants into the country raises serious national security concerns.- Bernama