Mamak restaurant employer fined RM20,000 for hiring 4 illegal immigrants
AVILA GERALDINE
New Straits Times12 March 2018
KOTA KINABALU: An employer of a mamak restaurant was fined RM20,000 by the Sessions Court today for hiring four illegal immigrants.
Jaheerusen Ahamadsha, a 46-year-old Indian national, pleaded guilty under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63 before Judge Azreena Aziz.
Azreena sentenced Jaheerusen, who is also a restaurant cook, to RM5,000 fine for each migrant, in default of five months' jail.
According to the facts, Jaheerusen, who was represented by counsel Dominic Chew, hired four foreign workers without valid identity documents and permits on Sept 1, 2017.
In pleading for leniency, Chew urged the court to impose a minimum fine on his client as this was his first offence.
He said Jaheerusen had a valid Indian passport.
Chew said his client was not aware that the four foreign workers had no valid documents as they had misrepresented themselves as Malaysians when seeking employment.
Meanwhile, another employer of the same restaurant Zainal Abidin Mohammad, who is a Malaysian, pleaded not guilty to similar offence.
Azreena fixed April 16 for case management and June 20 for trial
