SARIKEI: The Sessions Court here fined two local men RM25,000 each, in default six months in prison, for illegally possessing 178 logs of sawn timber.
Judge Stella Augustine Druce found Ling Ding King and Loh Leh Chong, both from Bintangor, guilty of committing the offence on January 13, 2023.
They were arrested with the timber loaded onto a lorry at around 6.30 pm at Jalan Ulu Strass, Bintangor.
During yesterday’s proceedings, she ruled that both men had violated Section 96(1) of the Forests Ordinance 2015, read together with Section 99 of the same Ordinance.
Aside from that, she imposed a fine of RM25,000 on each, with a six-month jail term if they fail to pay.
In addition, both were ordered to pay ten times the value of the seized timber to the Sarawak government.
Stella also instructed that all seized sawn timber be forfeited to the government.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Forest Department director Datuk Hamden Mohammad assured that the department is committed to combat any form of timber smuggling and illegal logging in the state.
“We will not compromise with any party that tries to exploit the state’s forest resources illegally.
“Enforcement efforts will continue to be enhanced to ensure that Sarawak’s forest resources are protected and managed sustainably,” he said.
