SRI AMAN: The Sessions Court here fined a man RM5,000 and one day in prison for illegally possessing a protected silvered langur (Presbytis cristata) without a licence.
Goh, 21, pleaded guilty before Judge Intan Nurul Farena Zainal Abidin to the charge framed under Section 29(1)(c) of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 26), which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a fine of up to RM25,000, or both.
The offence took place in Betong at around 4.20pm on Dec 7, 2021, when Goh was found with a silvered langur, a fully protected species under the ordinance, without a valid licence.
Judge Intan Nurul Farena sentenced him to a day in prison and fined him RM5,000, with an additional six-month prison term if he fails to pay the fine.
According to the case facts, a Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) team from Sibu raided a house in Pekan Baru, Pusa, after receiving information about protected wildlife being kept there.
A smartphone seized from Goh contained pictures and conversations related to wildlife sales.
Upon SFC’s arrival, Goh allegedly threw the langur into a garbage bin, causing injuries that led to the animal’s death.
Investigations confirmed that the animal was a silvered langur, a species fully protected under Part I of the First Schedule of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998.
Deputy public prosecutor Ronald Felix Hardin and prosecuting officer Willy Chin handled the case. Goh was unrepresented by counsel.
