KUCHING: An Indonesian woman was sentenced to one month in jail by the Sessions Court here yesterday after she pleaded guilty to illegal possession of sea turtle eggs.
Sessions Court judge meted out the sentence which commenced from May 18, the date of her arrest.
The 59-year-old offender was arrested at a parking lot near Pasar Serikin at 9.40am by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) officers who were on the lookout for people selling turtle eggs.
She was caught red-handed with 135 eggs of the Olive Ridley sea turtle species. The eggs were believed to be for sale.
For the offence, she was charged under Section 29(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998 and punishable under Section 29(1)(c) which carries a maximum of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM25,000.
The Olive Ridley sea turtle or Lepidochelys olivacea is listed as protected marine species under Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998.
