KULAI: A total of 84 foreign workers pleaded guilty at the Magistrate’s Court here to charges of using MyKad, which were either fake or belonged to someone else.
Magistrate R. Salini fined 83 of the accused RM4,000 each, in default with a seven-month jail term imposed if they fail to pay the fine.
One male accused was sentenced to seven months’ jail, effective from the date of arrest on Monday (Nov 17).
All 84 accused, comprising 18 men and 66 women aged between 18 and 53, pleaded guilty after the charges were read to them individually by a court interpreter here on Thursday (Nov 20).
According to the charge sheets, the accused were found using either fake identity cards or ICs belonging to others as personal identification documents during an inspection at a factory in Taman Teknologi, Senai here at about 5pm on Monday.
They were charged under Regulation 25(1)(e) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amendment 2007), which carries a maximum penalty of up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.
Lawyers Jihad Syahida Nadia Zakaria represented 20 accused, while Norasykin Md Jabarulla represented 30 others.
The remaining individuals were represented pro bono by Sharmaine Fairuz Mohd Zulkifli from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK).
The defence requested minimum sentencing, citing various factors including single mothers, small children, factory workers, and first-time offenders.
National Registration Department (NRD) prosecuting officer Zulkarnain Ahmad urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, stressing the importance of safeguarding Malaysia’s identity card system.
“The identity card is a crucial document in Malaysia. If misused, it can cause problems for the nation in various aspects including economy, politics and, most importantly, national security,” he said.
The prosecution team also comprised NRD prosecuting officers Mohd Ramzi Adnan, Noorlelawathi Man, Izzul Zakwan Zulkeflee, Nurul Nadiah Zainal Abidin and Mohd Shazlan Hafizi Mat Yaacob.
According to the facts of the case, NRD officers from Putrajaya conducted a document inspection operation at the factory, during which the accused produced photocopies of identity cards bearing other people’s names.
Checks against NRD records found that the information on the ICs did not match the accused, while some thumbprints and IC numbers were either non-existent or had never been issued by the department.
On Monday, the NRD and Immigration Department jointly carried out Ops Kotak at a box manufacturing and printing factory, leading to the arrest of 19 male and 67 female foreign nationals aged between 19 and their 50s for allegedly using fake identity cards to secure work.
