KOTA KINABALU: The government spent RM604,080,480 between 2006 and October 2012 to manage foreign prisoners in Sabah’s four prisons, the Royal Commision of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah was told yesterday
Kota Kinabalu Prison deputy superintendent Kalbin Mohd Said said the prisoners numbering more than 46,000 were mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan.
The 62nd witness said the expenses were for meals, medical treatment, board, clothing, electricity, water, and running of programmes for them.
Replying to conducting officer Datuk Azmi Arifin, Kalbin said the management costs involved all four prisons, the Kota Kinabalu central prison for men, the Kota Kinabalu prison for women, and the Tawau prison and Sandakan prison.
Asked on the statistics before 2006, the witness said he did not have it as prior to 2006, the records were done manually.
Kalbin said the foreigners were jailed for various offences under the Immigration Act, National Registration Act, Firearms Act, Dangerous Drugs Act, and for crimes under the Penal Code.
Referring to the statistics from 2006 until October 2012, he said foreigners exceeded Malaysians in the four prisons. He said the number of prisoners had also increased, resulting in overcrowding. —Bernama