KUCHING: A manager of an entertainment centre was fined RM2,000 by the Magistrate Court yesterday for operating without a valid licence.
Judge Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali sentenced Itshikawa, 28, from Sri Aman after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 5(1) of the Entertainment Ordinance 2000 and punishable under Section 5(3) of the same ordinance.
If convicted, the accused is liable to be fined up to RM20,000 or sentenced to a jail term of five years or both.
Syarifah sentenced the accused to one month in jail should he fail to pay his fine.
Based on the case fact, he allegedly committed the offence at an entertainment centre in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, around 12.20 am on Jan 15, 2022.
According to the factsheet, during the incident, an Ops Noda raid was made by the police at the location.
The complainant was a senior police officer who found one of the premises’ handlers (the accused) who admitted that he was the manager of the place.
When the police asked the accused to present a business licence, he failed to show it to the police.
The police arrested the accused and confiscated several items in the entertainment centre such as one unit of microphone, a speaker and a music audio.
Further investigations made by Kuching South City Council (MBKS) revealed that the centre did not have a legal permit.
Prosecutor of the case was DPP Insp Mohd Adzmei Ahmad while the accused was represented by counsel Patrick Voon.
