KOTA KINABALU: A cook pleaded not guilty in the Tawau Sessions Court on Tuesday (March 3) to a charge of illegally possessing a pangolin at a resort in Semporna.
Mohammad Ali Iqram Thien Abdullah, 45, claimed trial before judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya after being charged under Section 41(1) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
If convicted, he could face a fine of between RM50,000 and RM250,000, and one to five years' jail.
According to the charge sheet, Ali Iqram was accused of possessing a live pangolin (Manis javanica) found inside a black plastic container at the resort at 5.35pm on Feb 23.
The animal is a fully protected species under Schedule 1, Part 1, Number 13 of the Enactment, and Ali Iqram allegedly did not have valid authorisation to possess the pangolin.
The judge granted bail of RM15,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court, as well as not to approach any prosecution witnesses.
On Feb 25, Sabah Wildlife Department director Soffian Abu Bakar told the media that three people had been arrested for allegedly cooking pangolin soup as an "exquisite experience" for tourists at the resort.
He said the resort was raided under an integrated operation dubbed Ops Khazanah, where they found a live pangolin in a bucket and several pots of cooked pangolin herbal soup.
As a totally protected species, all possession, trade or consumption of pangolins is illegal.
