BUTTERWORTH: A teenage girl, a woman, a Myanmar man and a fourth person still at large have been jointly charged here with migrant smuggling.
Umi Kalsom Abidin, 29, and the 17-year-old girl pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to them before Sessions judge Roslan Hamid on Tuesday (Dec 30).
The charge was not read to the foreign national, Kyaw Zin Lin, 19, as the court did not have an interpreter.
They were jointly charged with smuggling five Myanmar nationals in the car park opposite SJK (T) Bukit Mertajam at 6.40pm on Dec 2.
The charge under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries up to 20 years' jail, a fine or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Nur Amalina Harun offered no objection to bail and requested a new date to secure the attendance of a Myanmar interpreter.
The court subsequently set Jan 13 for the next case mention. – Bernama
