Indonesian man sentenced to 3 years jail for possessing RM138,920 in counterfeit Malaysian currency at Serian roadside location
KUCHING: An Indonesian man was sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Sessions Court here for possessing counterfeit banknotes totalling RM138,920.
Judge Musli Abdul Hamid handed down the sentence after Hendra, 32, pleaded guilty to the charge.
The jail term commenced today following his admission of guilt.
Hendra was charged with possessing 1,200 counterfeit RM100 notes, 240 counterfeit RM50 notes, 296 counterfeit RM20 notes, and 100 counterfeit RM10 notes.
He intended to use the counterfeit currency as genuine money.
The offence occurred at a location along Jalan Tebedu-Serian, Serian, at approximately 4.45 pm on October 8.
The charge was framed under Section 489C of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years upon conviction.
On the day of the incident, a General Operations Force Battalion 23 team detained two foreign men riding a motorcycle suspiciously by the roadside.
The men were believed to have recently entered Sarawak via the Tebedu-Entikong border.
During questioning, they led security forces to another individual, Hendra, not far from the first location.
This resulted in the discovery of the counterfeit banknotes.
Authorities also detained a woman in connection with the case, bringing the total number of arrests to four.
Investigations revealed the suspects possessed various denominations of counterfeit Malaysian Ringgit banknotes amounting to RM138,920.
On October 15, an Indonesian man and woman, Wawan Riduanto, 31, and Emi Diansari, 37, were each sentenced to two years imprisonment for the same offence.
They were jointly charged with another man, local citizen Abang Firdaus Abang Abdul Malek, 29, who pleaded not guilty.
Abang Mohammad Firdaus, a delivery driver, was granted bail of RM20,000 by the court.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar appeared for the prosecution. – Bernama
