Kuala lumpur: The Court of Appeal today upheld the five-year prison sentence and RM50,000 fine on a former administrative assistant convicted of trafficking a 13-month-old baby boy and using forged documents to register his birth. A three-man bench led by Justice Datuk Azman Abdullah, sitting with Justices Datuk Noorin Badaruddin and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, dismissed Nurul Faizan Ahmad Asri's final appeal against her conviction and sentences.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Justice Azman, while delivering the court's unanimous decision, stated that the findings of fact by the Sessions Court, which were upheld by the High Court, were a correct and accurate decision. On January 19, 2024, the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur found Nurul Faizan, 41, guilty of trafficking the baby for exploitation by transferring possession of the child in exchange for money.

The offence took place at the Taman Desa Hospital in Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur, at 5 pm on November 5, 2020. Nurul Faizan was also found guilty by the Sessions Court on the second charge of using a false National Registration Department (JPN) Birth Registration Form in the baby's name at JPN, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Off Jalan Dutamas here at 10:30 am in November 2020.

Nurul Faizan received a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of RM80,000, with a default 24-month prison term, for the first charge, and a year in prison and a fine of RM10,000, with a default three-month prison term, for the second charge, with the sentences running concurrently. On May 30 last year, the High Court upheld her conviction for both offences, the prison sentences and RM10,000 fine but reduced the RM80,000 fine to RM40,000 with a default one-year prison term.

The first charge was framed under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2017, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine upon conviction. The second charge was under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which provides a maximum prison sentence of seven years and a fine upon conviction.

Lawyers Ahmad Hafiz A Bakar and Marisha Dianah Md Darus represented Nurul Faizan in the proceedings at the Court of Appeal today, while deputy public prosecutors Mohamed Aznin Mohamed Ariff and Iznina Hanim Hashim appeared for the prosecution.