KUCHING, Aug 18 — An unemployed man was sentenced today to eight months in prison and fined RM50,000 in default six months’ jail for unlawful possession of 732 turtle eggs.
Sessions Court judge Musli Ab Hamid convicted Mohamad Nazarudin Zuami, 32, on his own guilty plea to a charge under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, punishable under Section 37(2)(a) and read together with Section 29(1)(c) of the same Ordinance.
The Section carries a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of RM25,000 per individual animal part, upon conviction.
The offence was committed at a house in a resettlement scheme in Jalan Batu Kawa here at about 10am on Aug 13 this year.
Based on the facts of the case, personnel from the Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Marine Police Region 5 raided the house as part of an Ops Bersepadu Khazanah operation following intelligence reports.
During the raid, the team arrested Mohamad Nazarudin on suspicion of possessing marine turtle eggs without permission.
A search of the house uncovered 732 marine turtle eggs—577 in a green plastic basket, 42 in a purple plastic basket, 93 in a red plastic bag, and 20 in a white plastic bag.
The eggs were seized after the accused failed to produce any valid permission or licence from the Controller of Wild Life.
It was further established that the turtle eggs belonged to the Cheloniidae family, classified as a Totally Protected Animal under Part I of the First Schedule of the Ordinance.
Prosecuting officers Leonard Baring and Willy Chin Siaw Min appeared for prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. — The Borneo Post
