Countrymen made money from visas, Pakistanis tell court

Countrymen made money from visas, Pakistanis tell court Published on: Thursday, April 23, 2015 Daily Express Kota Kinabalu: Two Pakistanis on Wednesday told the court that the "middlemen" who helped them obtain Multiple Entry Visas and a long-term social visit passes with fake details, were actually their countrymen who had stayed in the State for a long time. Shamsul Alam Habib Rasool, 30, and Afzal Khan Mirasan Khan, 25, who maintained their guilt in using the documents as genuine papers when they knew the particulars were fake, told Sessions Court Judge Dato Ishak Bakri that the middlemen offered to help them obtain the documents but asked them to pay RM3,100 and RM14,000, respectively. Two of these middlemen were identified as Wakil Khan Waris Khan and one Farzan. Shamsul who claimed he had married a local woman in Keningau, was jailed 16 months while Afzal was sentenced to eight months and after completing their jail sentences, were ordered referred to the Immigration Department. Afzal had used the Multiple Entry Visa which was issued by the Lahad Datu Immigration Department with false details in relation to his wife, one Sharwaty Samporang, who he was actually not married to. He was found using the document at the temporary detention centre in Papar on Feb 4 this year. Meanwhile, Shamsul was found using a long-term social visit pass with false information on one Manisah Sabal, who was actually not his wife, at 11am on Oct 14, 2014, here. They obtained the visa and social visit pass through a syndicate, using the particulars of women to whom they were not actually married, in their application forms. Earlier, during mitigation, Shamsul told Ishak that a Pakistani who he knew, one Wakil Khan Waris Khan had helped him obtain the long-term social visit pass and that he paid Wakil RM14,000. He also told the court when he got his document, he was surprised when he saw the particulars of a woman who he did not know and was angry with Wakil. Shamsul said Wakil who had stayed in the State for 15 years had cheated him and also other Pakistanis who used Wakil as their middleman to obtain their visas with fake particulars regarding their wives. Shamsul who claimed he obtained the visa before he married one Nurchaya, said he had come to Sabah earlier, met her and returned to marry her, after having worked at Taiping, Perak for two years. He was on Sept 24, 2014 jailed a month for causing hurt to his wife. Meanwhile, Afzal who has a fiancée in his country informed the court he obtained his visa through a Pakistani, one Fazan, for RM3,100. According to Afzal, he did not know that the particulars on his visa were fake and, therefore, it was not his fault. Afzal who worked as shop assistant in Sri Maju, Sepanggar said he was never arrested before this and freely went in and out of the State. He hoped the court would send him back to Pakistan. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Prosecuting Officer, Awang Shamsul Baharom Bongsu who was assisted by Michael Joimin said Afzal had been earlier sentenced to 10 months' jail for a Customs offence. On Feb 26 and 27 this year, five Pakistanis were sentenced to three months' jail and fined RM10,000 in default a month's jail after they admitted to a similar charge. However, Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum enhanced the sentence of the five Pakistanis from three months' jail to 18 months when the sentence imposed by the Sessions Court was revised. Three of the five were also were jailed a year each for getting visas after making false statements to stay in the State and having obtained the said documents without going through proper procedure. So far about seven Pakistanis have been brought to court in connection with the said scam and more are expected to be brought to court in Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu.