Foreigner jailed three months for illegal online gambling

KUCHING (Aug 14): The Magistrates’ Court here today sentenced a 27-year-old Indonesian man to three months in jail for dealing with a gambling machine.

Magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali imposed the sentence on Mingarya after he pleaded guilty to Section 4B(a) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953.

The Section carries a fine of between RM10,000 and RM100,000 for each gambling machine seized, and a jail term of not more than five years upon conviction.

Based on the facts of the case, on Aug 7, police raided a room in Kampung Santubong here at 10.55am and arrested Mingarya on suspicion of illegal online gambling.

Further checks on his mobile phone found an online gambling kiosk, which is used for selling top up credits for illegal online gambling.

Apart from the mobile phone, police also seized a mobile printer, a piece of paper containing ID numbers and passwords for online gambling, and RM836.

The investigation found that the mobile phone was used as a gambling machine.

Mingarya was also found to have remained in Malaysia after the expiration of his social visit pass.

For that offence, he was charged under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, which is punishable under Section 15(4) of the same Act.

The Section provides for a fine of up to RM10,000 and imprisonment up to five years, or both, upon conviction.

Sessions Court Judge Afidah Abdul Rahman imposed a fine of RM10,000 in default four months in jail on Mingarya after he pleaded guilty to this offence.

Afidah also ordered Mingarya to be referred to the Malaysian Immigration Department after he pays the fine or serves his sentence.

The cases were prosecuted separately by ASP Arman Ibrahim and deputy public prosecutor Iezzah Iburdanisha Ibrahim respectively.

Mingarya did not have legal representation.