KOTA KINABALU, March 23 — A woman and two men were jailed for a total of 49 years by the Court of Appeal here yesterday for seven joint charges of trafficking in seven foreign women for sex exploitation.
A three-member panel chaired by Justice Datuk Supang Lian, who sat together with Justices Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah and Datuk Wong Kian Kheong, unanimously allowed an appeal by the prosecution and set aside the acquittal of Bambie Amor Relioque, 40, Esekeroboy Asing, 49, and Ng Vai Kwang, 60.
The trio was convicted and sentenced to seven years jail for each of their seven charges.
However, the court had ordered for their jail terms to run concurrently from yesterday which means they only have to serve seven years behind bars.
The prosecution was appealing against the High Court’s decision in affirming the Session Court’s order to acquit and discharge the trio.
On January 25, 2019, the Sessions Court had freed the three respondents after a full trial. The prosecution then appealed to the High Court here and the appeal was dismissed.
The respondents had trafficked in the seven females aged between 19 and 28 at a house in Lorong Kemajuan in Labuan on May 13, 2017.
The offence was under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
The indictment provides for a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine, upon conviction.
Counsel Edward Paul represented the three respondents. — The Borneo Post
