The accused: U-Raiwan (centre) and Konchanok (left) being escorted out of court.
JOHOR BARU: Two men have been charged at a Sessions Court here with managing and assisting in the operation of a prostitution den.
Lim Kup Nam, 59, and Liew Ching Choy, 57, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read before Judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman.
According to the charge sheet, they had been keeping, managing and assisting in the management of a brothel at Jalan Indah 12/8, Taman Bukit Indah, here between Jan 1 and 25.
They were jointly charged under Section 373 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same Act.
If found guilty, they could face a jail term of up to 15 years and fines.
Both suspects were represented by lawyer Goh Sze Han. The Deputy Public Prosecutor was Umar Faiz Abdul Kohar.
The judge set bail at RM13,000 with one surety each and set March 4 for the next mention.
The court also ordered Lim, who is unemployed, and Liew, who is a lorry driver, to surrender their passports and to report to the nearest police station once a month.
In another court, two Thai women claimed trial for prostitution and living in the country without valid passes.
Konchanok Naleebut, 26, and U-Raiwan Sukha, 25, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in English before magistrate Hidayatul Syuhada Shamsudin.
They were accused of prostituting themselves at Jalan Indah 12/8, Taman Bukit Indah, at 7.30pm on Jan 25.
For the offence, they were charged under Section 372B of the Penal Code. If convicted, they could face a maximum of a one-year prison sentence, fines, or both.
They were also charged under Section 6 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act for being in Malaysia without a valid pass or permit
The two women were also represented by Goh, while the case was prosecuted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Aqillah Ahmad Rofeai.
Hidayatul allowed bail for the two women at RM5,000 with two Malaysian sureties each and set March 7 for the next mention.
They were also required to surrender their passports and report to the nearest police station once a month.
All suspects posted bail.
