Six Vietnamese fined RM1.3 million
Published on: Friday, May 03, 2024
By: Cynthia D Baga
The offence under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and punishable under Section 25(a) of the same Act and read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a fine of up to RM6 million for the vessel skipper and RM600,000 for each crew member of the vessel, on conviction.
Kota Kinabalu: Six Vietnamese were fined a total of RM1.3 million for fishing illegally in Malaysian waters.
They were skipper Nguyen Hoang Dep, 41, crews Huynh Ngic Cuoc, 29, Nguyen Van Oanh, 40, Vi Van Nao, 49, Nguyen Quoc Duong, 25, and Lee Huu Cong, 32.
ADVERTISEMENT
All of them pleaded guilty separately before Sessions Court Judge Elsie Primus after the charge against them was read by a Vietnamese interpreter.
The skipper was fined RM800,000 in default eight months’ jail while the crew were fined RM100,000 or spend six months in prison each.
They were detained at 9.30pm on April 18 on a Vietnamese fishermen boat without registration number at Pulau Sibongor Laut for not having permit to fishing in Malaysian waters.
The offence under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and punishable under Section 25(a) of the same Act and read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a fine of up to RM6 million for the vessel skipper and RM600,000 for each crew member of the vessel, on conviction.
ADVERTISEMENT
During mitigation, the Vietnamese who were not represented, asked for a minimum sentence, saying they have families to look after and they want to return to their hometown as soon as possible.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurun Nazifah Muhammad Iyen from the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency urged the court to hand down a heavy sentence because it was a serious offence and rampant.
ADVERTISEMENT
The court also ordered the vessel and all equipment seized to be forfeited by the Government of Malaysia.
All the Vietnamese were ordered to be referred to the Immigration Department after paying the fine or serving jail sentence.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
