55-year-old woman charged with trafficking underage boy and girl
JOHOR BARU: A 55-year-old woman was charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of trafficking underage children last year.
The accused, Haliza Palok, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out by the court interpreter before Judge Thalha Bachok @ Embok Mok.
According to the charge sheet, Haliza was alleged to have trafficked a boy, aged between 10 and 12, and a girl, aged between 13 and 15 by exploiting them for illegal activities under Section 5(1)(c) of the Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act.
The alleged offence was committed at Jalan Kargo 2, Senai Airport City, Senai, at 6.54pm on Dec 19 last year.
The charges were framed under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 that carries a sentence of life imprisonment or a minimum of five years' jail and whipping upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor from the Immigration Department, Tan Yen Thung, proposed bail of RM20,000 for each charge with two sureties.
Tan also proposed the court impose additional conditions including monthly reporting to the Johor Immigration Office and surrendering the accused's international passport to the court.
However, lawyer Amarpreet Singh Rajwinder Singh, representing the accused, requested minimal bail, stating that his client was unaware of being charged today and that both she and her husband were unemployed.
The court later granted bail of RM17,000 for both charges with two guarantors, along with two additional conditions as proposed by the prosecution. The accused was also prohibited from interfering with prosecution witnesses.
The case is fixed for mention on Aug 27 for the submission of documents.
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