Appeals court upholds 5-year jail, fine for baby trafficking, document fraud

 A three-man bench unanimously dismisses Nurul Faizan Ahmad Asri’s final appeal against her conviction and sentences.

On Jan 19, 2024, the Kuala Lumpur sessions court found Nurul Faizan Ahmad Asri guilty of trafficking the baby for exploitation by transferring possession of the child in exchange for money.

PETALING JAYA:

 The Court of Appeal today upheld a five-year prison sentence and RM50,000 fine imposed on a former administrative assistant convicted of trafficking a 13-month-old baby boy and using forged documents to register his birth.

Bernama reported that a three-man bench led by Justice Azman Abdullah, sitting with Justices Noorin Badaruddin and Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, dismissed Nurul Faizan Ahmad Asri’s final appeal against her conviction and sentences.

Delivering the court’s unanimous decision, Azman said the Kuala Lumpur sessions court’s findings, upheld by the High Court, were correct and accurate.

On Jan 19, 2024, the sessions court found Nurul Faizan, 41, guilty of trafficking the baby for exploitation by transferring possession of the child in exchange for money.

The offence was committed at the Taman Desa Hospital along Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur, at 5pm on Nov 5, 2020.

The court also found Nurul Faizan guilty on a second charge of using a falsified national registration department (JPN) birth registration form in the baby’s name at JPN, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, off Jalan Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, at 10.30am in November 2020.

Nurul Faizan was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of RM80,000, in default 24 months’ imprisonment, on the first charge, and a year’s imprisonment and RM10,000 fine, in default three months in prison, on the second charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.

On May 30 last year, the High Court upheld her conviction on both offences, the prison sentences and RM10,000 fine, but reduced the RM80,000 fine to RM40,000 in default of one year’s imprisonment.

The first charge was framed under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2017, punishable with up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine, while the second charge was under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine.

Lawyers Ahmad Hafiz A Bakar and Marisha Dianah Darus represented Nurul Faizan today, while deputy public prosecutors Aznin Ariff and Iznina Hanim Hashim appeared for the prosecution. - FMT