Filipino admits to smuggling 16 immigrants
Published on: Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: A 44-year-old Filipino Cagayan pleaded guilty at the High Court here on Tuesday to smuggling 16 illegal immigrants into the country.However, Judge Ravinthran N.Paramaguru deferred sentencing to April 26 for the prosecution to give the court the sentencing range for a similar offence to assist the court before handing down the sentence.Saring Osman admitted to smuggling the illegal immigrants by transporting them from the Philippines in a vessel at 1.10am on Feb 6 this year at Tanjung Berungus, off Kudat waters.
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The offence under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Person and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom) 2007 carries a jail term of up to 15 years, or fine, or both, on conviction.Earlier, Saring, who was not represented, requested for a lenient sentence saying he was the sole breadwinner for his wife and seven children back in his country.Saring who spoke through an interpreter asked the court to deport him to Cagayan island in the Philippines as soon as possible as he missed his family.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurun Nazifah Muhammad Iyen from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency urged the court to hand down a deterrent sentence due to the seriousness of the offence which was frequently occurring in Sabah waters. - Jo Ann Mool
