KUCHING: A foreign man involved in betting activities related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, was sentenced to four months in jail by the Magistrate’s Court and given another four months’ jail by the Sessions Court for overstaying in Malaysia.
The accused Diky, 22, from Singkawang Tengah, Kalimantan, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Zaiton Anuar to a charge framed under Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, which carries a fine up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up to six months, if convicted.
According to the charges, the accused committed the offence at an eatery in Jalan Petanak around 1.50pm on Nov 26.
Zaiton sentenced the accused to four months in jail.
In addition, Sessions Court Judge Maris Agan also sentenced the accused to four months in jail for overstaying in country after his visiting pass expired on Oct 31.
The court also ordered the sentence to run concurrently effective from the date of the accused’s arrest.
According to the facts of the case, a police team conducted an ‘Ops Saga’ raid at an eatery in Jalan Petanak on Nov 26 and arrested the accused, who was sitting at a table suspected of betting on the World Cup 2022 football match.
The accused’s belongings such as a smart phone, cash amounting to RM57 and several pieces of paper with numbers believed to be gambling bets, were seized.
Aside from that, the accused was also found to have been in Sarawak for one month and 26 days without reasonable cause after his visiting pass expired on Oct 31.
Further investigation by gambling experts confirmed that the case items seized from the accused were used as gambling devices.
Deputy public prosecutor Ruvinasini Pandian and Insp Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang prosecuted the cases while, the accused was unrepresented by a counsel.
