The three Pakistanis outside the courtroom after the sentencing yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: Three Pakistani men who are now behind bars for possessing fake travel documents, received another two years’ jail each for separate charges of giving false statements in order to get a valid document to be in Sabah, and abetting in criminal conspiracy to obtain ‘Pas Jaminan Isteri Warganegara’.
Judge Azreena Aziz imposed the custodial sentence on Iqbal Hussain, 36, Saleem Nawab, 32 and Ibrar Khan, 22, after they pleaded guilty to both their charges yesterday.
On the first count, the three accused were each jailed 12 months for giving false statements in order to get valid documents to be in Sabah, on February 14 at the arresting unit office of the Enforcement Division at the Federal Government Administration Complex at Jalan Sulaman here.
On their second charge, they received another 12 months’ imprisonment for engaging in criminal conspiracy to get the ‘Pas Jaminan Isteri Warganegara’, which were obtained by giving false statements.
The charges also stated that the accused admitted to possess marriage certificates to prove that they were married to the women, and had paid cash to unknown agents in order to get the passes.
The three foreigners were arrested on the third floor of the same building on the same day.
The facts of their case stated that the accused did not possess any marriage certificates, but had paid RM5,000 to unknown agents in order to get the passes.
Investigations revealed that those passes were issued in Sandakan and Lahad Datu.
In mitigation, the unrepresented accused requested for a lighter sentence and said they were married men with families to support.
In reply, Immigration Department prosecuting officer Angela Anak Jambul pressed for a deterrent sentence taking into account that these cases involved national security.
The prosecution also said a heavier punishment would serve as a lesson to the accused.
The accused, were ordered to serve their jail terms concurrently and to be referred to the Immigration Department after serving their jail terms for deportation.