KOTA KINABALU: The sessions court here today allowed the case of a foreigner charged with being an Abu Sayyaf member to be brought to the High Court.
The decision was made by Judge Azreena Aziz on 32-year-old Marsan Ajilul @ Anuar Mohamad Asnalul, who was unrepresented.
Marsan, from Zamboanga, the Philippines, was reportedly a senior member under Abu Sayyaf group leader and expert bomb maker Furuji Indaman in southern Basilan.
In requesting for the case to be transmitted, deputy public prosecutor Husna Abdul Halim said that they had received consent to prosecute the case at the High Court.
She then tendered a copy of the consent document and the amended charge to the court.
According to the charge sheet, Marsan is accused of being a member of Abu Sayyaf, operating out of a shop office in Likas, between July 31, 2012 and March 15 this year.
He is also accused of staying in the state illegally between Aug 2017 and March 15 this year.
Marsan, who is currently serving a jail sentence for his immigration offence, nodded in understanding when the charge was read to him.
His offence was framed under Section 130KA of the Penal Code, which carries a jail sentence which may extend to life imprisonment and a liable fine, if convicted.
On April 13, the sessions court sentenced Marsan to six months in prison and a stroke of the cane after he pleaded guilty to not possessing valid identity documents under Section 6(c) of the Immigration Act.
Azreena had ordered Masran to serve his jail sentence from the day of his arrest.
Marsan was arrested on March 15 this year, at about 10.30am at the Sabah Police Headquarters in Kepayan here.
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