Court postpones charges against five Iranians, Persian-language interpreter needed

GEORGE TOWN: Five Iranians, comprising three men and two women, were brought to the Magistrates’ Court on Friday (Aug 15) to face separate charges involving theft, drug offences, and violations under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

However, the charges against the accused, aged between 19 and 33, were not read out as they did not understand Malay or English.

Magistrates Siti Nurul Suhaila Baharin, Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi, and Muhammad Amzar Ismail set Sept 10 for the case mention to allow a court interpreter fluent in Persian to be present. They also denied bail for all the accused.

Lawyer R. Thandayuthabany Pillay, representing the five accused, said they are facing charges under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft, Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for overstaying, and Section 6 of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952 for drug possession.

Deputy Public Prosecutors in the three courts, Lau Shavin, Ahmad Danial Amir Saad, and Syairah Aqilah Khalil, requested that all the accused be denied bail on the grounds that they are foreign nationals. – Bernama