KOTA TINGGI: Three men, including two brothers, have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment and a fine of RM250,000 by the Sessions Court here after they pleaded guilty to storing the carcass of a female Malayan tiger inside a car boot.
The accused, Md Shaheezam Md Salim, 49, Nazerin Tomiran, 47, and his younger brother Mohamad Nazrol, 28, were charged in front of Sessions Judge Haydar Faridzal Abu Hasan here on Tuesday (Sept 23).
According to the charge sheet, the three accused, who were in separate handcuffs, were found in possession of one dead female Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris) in the boot of a car.
This occurred at a petrol station within Felda Tenggaroh in Mersing at around 6.10am on last Tuesday (Sept 16).
The tiger is a fully protected wildlife species under the Tenth Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716), and declared under subsection 68(2)(c) of the same Act, without a special permit.
ALSO READ: Three men to face court over Malayan tiger carcass found in car boot
They have committed an offence under Section 70(1) of Act 716, punishable under Section 70(2) of the same Act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code [Act 574].
The offence carries a fine of not less than RM250,000 for each wildlife, or any part or derivative of such wildlife, and imprisonment for not more than 15 years.
The three accused, who were not represented, then pleaded guilty to the charge against them and urged leniency in their sentencing as they claimed to have health issues.
Md Shaheezam told the court that he has stage four liver cancer and is no longer working due to his condition while Nazerin and Mohamad Nazrol, who both work as welders, are claiming kidney problems.
Haydar Farizal then sentenced each of them to seven years imprisonment and a fine of RM250,000 in default seven years in jail.
He also ordered the tiger’s carcass to be disposed of while the car together with its key and mobile phones are to be deprived of rights to the government.
Deputy public prosecutor Fatim Hanum Abdul Hadi prosecuted the case.
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