Three Chinese nationals have pleaded guilty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to charges of participating in illegal gambling activities at an unlicensed gambling house in Gelugor last week.
The accused — Gao Yue, 25, Ma Wenlyu, 32, and Ma Yucheng, 27 — entered their guilty pleas after the charges were read to them in Mandarin before Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Said on Friday.
According to the charge, the trio were found gambling together at a premises located at 1B-22, The Light Collection 1, Jalan Pantai Sinaran, Gelugor, at approximately 4.30pm on 26 June.
They were charged under Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of a RM5,000 fine, up to six months’ imprisonment, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Danial Amir Saad urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, while defence lawyers K Mahendran and Sharmila Mogan appealed for a lower financial penalty.
In mitigation, Sharmila told the court that all three men were first-time offenders with family responsibilities. She said Gao Yue, a photographer earning RM2,000 a month, supports his elderly parents in China. Ma Wenlyu, a logistics officer earning RM2,500 monthly, is married with two young children, while Ma Yucheng, also a photographer with a monthly income of RM2,000, supports both his parents.
The defence also informed the court that the three men were remorseful for their actions, had cooperated fully with the authorities and had saved the court’s time and resources by pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity. Counsel therefore requested that only a fine be imposed.
After considering the submissions, Magistrate Nadratun sentenced each of the three accused to a RM5,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine will result in six months’ imprisonment.
