The lawyer representing a Malaysian woman who was arrested and charged last month for overstaying her visa in the country and having marijuana in her possession has been warned to bring his client to court.
Magistrate Alex Kalandi told the lawyer representing Anita Ting Mee Siong to bring her to court when the matter next returns for mention on Feb 6.
The 34-year-old from Sibu, Sarawak city, Malaysia has not appeared in court since her arrest on Dec 12 and 23 respectively. Her case has been listed for mention four times since her arrest.
Siong’s lawyer was present in court for the first time today but without the defendant. She is expected to be charged by police this week with an additional charge.
She was charged on Dec 12, 2016, on allegations that between July 18, 2015 and Dec 10, 2016, she remained in the country without a valid visa.
She was charged under section 16 (1)(a) of the Migration Act and released on police bail of K10,000.
It is alleged that on May 19, 2015, she arrived in the country as a tourist on an Easy Visitor Permit, which only allowed her to stay up to 60 days in the country. That permit expired on July 18, 2015.
On Dec 23, 2016, she was charged under section 3(1)(d) of the Dangerous Drug Act for having cannabis in her possession without authorisation. For this charge, she was also released on K7,000 police bail.
The cannabis, weighing one gram, was found by police in her apartment at Ela Beach after a search was conducted.
She was a person of interest to police when she was picked up on Dec 10, 2016 by the Police Dog unit and taken to the Airport Immigration office. She was questioned in relation to her alleged illicit drug activities and for overstaying her visa.
She was later handed over to police with six, three-in-one coffee sachets which police believed were illegal party drugs called “Special K”. Special K is the street name for the drug ketamine hydrochloride. It is also alleged she had Customs prohibited sex items on her.
However, she was only charged with overstaying her visa and being in possession of dangerous drug (marijuana).