Cleaning company CEO charged with wrongfully withholding passports

The chief executive officer of a Klang-based cleaning services company was today charged with eight counts of wrongfully holding on to a passport belonging to another individual.

Klang Utara district police chief Nurulhuda Mohd Salleh told Malaysiakini the 41-year-old woman, identified as Teoh Geok Heong, claimed trial this morning to charges under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passports Act 1966.

"She was arrested along with two others last week...The two others were released without being charged," said Nurulhuda who was in charge of investigations following a multi-agency raid on the company's premise last Dec 17.

"The woman has been released on RM11,500 bail with two sureties," she said, adding that the case has been set for mention on Feb 5 at the Klang Sessions Court.

Nurulhuda (above) said the trio's arrests and today's charge followed an initial three-day remand order obtained under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007 against two others.

Following police investigations, she said it was found there were no elements that pointed to the 51 workers rescued during the raid as being victims of human trafficking.

She said 43 of the rescued workers were returned to the cleaning company as they possessed valid documents and had expressed intentions to continue working there.

Teoh was charged with wrongfully withholding the passports of eight workers and Nurulhuda said the prosecution has ordered for all eight to be handed over to the Immigration Department for deportation.

When contacted, one of the eight workers told Malaysiakini they were taken to the Selangor Immigration Department in Shah Alam after being present in court this morning.

"We're not sure when we will be deported," said Kira* (not her real name).

Kira was among the group of workers who had first raised their alleged exploitation to Migrant Care, seeking refuge at the international migrant right's NGO shelter in Kuala Lumpur.

Contacted today, Migrant Care country representative Alex Ong (third left) expressed regret over the deportation order.

He further claimed there were unsettled matters between the employer and the eight workers which must be resolved at the Labour Court.

A source from the Labour Department told Malaysiakini that no claims have been filed so far by the eight workers.

"Since the prosecution has ordered for their deportation, if they want to file claims at the labour court, they can still do so.

"But first the Indonesian Embassy must make a formal request to our Immigration (for the workers to remain in Malaysia) and arrange for their shelter," said the source.

Ong said Migrant Care will be in contact with the Indonesian Embassy although he lamented that their officials should have been present in court today to monitor the case proceedings.  - Mkini