Doctor, husband charged with trafficking Indonesian maid

2026-03-03 - 06:03

The couple was charged in the Klang sessions court with jointly exploiting a 42-year-old Indonesian woman through an act of human trafficking for labour retention. KLANG: A married couple pleaded not guilty in the sessions court here to trafficking their Indonesian domestic helper for forced labour last year. Amir Mirza Kamaruddin, 27, and Dr Siti Hajar C Ahmad Khalid, 28, entered their pleas after the charge was read before judge Sabri Ismail. They were accused of jointly exploiting the 42-year-old Indonesian woman through an act of human trafficking for labour retention. Amir, an assistant medical officer, and Siti Hajar, a medical officer, were charged with committing the offence at a condominium in Ampang on Nov 18. The charge was framed under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a possible fine upon conviction. The couple will face three additional charges in the Ampang court this Thursday. Deputy public prosecutor Norhidayah Abdullah Sani did not offer bail but proposed a high amount if the court was inclined to grant it. She also proposed requiring both accused to report to the police once a month. The couple’s lawyer, Baharuddin Ahmad Kassim, appealed for bail on grounds that they had three young children, including one who suffers from respiratory problems and requires regular medical treatment. “Both accused are civil servants attached to different government hospitals. They are prepared to comply with any conditions imposed by the court,” he said, assisted by lawyer Zulkifli Awang. The judge allowed bail of RM15,000 each with one surety, subject to additional conditions set by the court. He fixed May 13 and 18 for further mention of the case and for the recording of the victim’s statement.