MELAKA: Three sisters and the husband of one of them pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to trafficking in 35 foreign women for the purpose of labour exploitation.
Ee Hwei Ping, 38 and her two sisters, Ee Hwei Ting, 34, and Ee Hwei Shan, 33, who face 35 counts of the offence, made the plea before Judge Norma Ismail after the charges against them were read out by a court interpreter.
The three siblings, who own a cleaning services agency, were alleged to have trafficked in the 32 Indonesian women and three Cambodian women, aged between 18 and 40, at five houses around Melaka on Nov 12.
They were charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act and the Penal Code. They face imprisonment of up to 15 years and a fine, upon conviction.
Hwei Shan’s husband, Koh Chee Pin, 38, pleaded not guilty to 21 other charges of abetting the three women to traffic in the foreigners for the purpose of labour exploitation at the same locations and date.
If found guilty he faced a maximum penalty of jail for up to 15 years and a fine.
The judge allowed the four accused bail of RM40,000 each in one surety and the additional condition of having to report to the nearest police station every month, besides surrendering their passports to the court.
Deputy public prosecutor Anis Wahidah Mohamad appeared for the prosecution, while all the accused were represented by lawyer Faiezad Razali.
The court set Jan 15 for re-mention.