Three individuals, including a woman, were brought before a Malaysian court on charges of arranging the smuggling of a Sri Lankan national in July.
The accused — Malaysians G. Santhiya Darshini, 27, and Janarthanan Appupillai, 46, along with Sri Lankan national Vtheewaran Palani, 48 — acknowledged understanding the charge, which was read in Tamil before the Judge. No plea was recorded, as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The trio is accused of arranging the smuggling of a Sri Lankan migrant through Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on July 10. They were charged under Section 26C of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read with Section 34 of the Penal Code. If convicted, they face up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sri Lankan national Antany Sujan Antany Ranjan was charged with using a false passport in another person’s name to facilitate migrant smuggling at the KLIA international departure gate.
He was charged under Section 26E of the same Act, which carries a penalty of seven to 15 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM500,000, or both. No plea was recorded.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Anisah Pisol and Norhidayah Abdullah Sani opposed bail and requested all cases be transferred to the Shah Alam High Court. The court approved the transfer. (TheStar/Islandnews)
