KUALA LUMPUR: Another 10 individuals were charged with providing false birth information of their adopted children at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate Courts on Thursday (May 15).
The group, comprising nine men and a woman, were slapped with fines between RM700 and RM2,000 after confessing to deceiving the authorities when applying for birth certificates and MyKads.
The accused, aged between 55 and 69, were charged separately before six magistrates with offences under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957 (Act 299) and National Registration Regulations 1990.
Under Act 299, they were charged under Section 36(b) for wilfully or knowingly furnishing or permitting the false information.
The Act provides for a maximum fine of RM2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or both, while the National Registration Regulations provide for a prison term not exceeding three years, a fine not exceeding RM20,000, or both.
Two of the accused were also charged under the Birth and Death Registration Act 1957 (Act 299) for providing false information to obtain MyKad for their children.
The accused were arrested at the National Registration Department’s Investigation and Enforcement Division, Putrajaya, on Wednesday (May 14) following a probe under Ops Foster 2.0.
A few of the accused were represented by counsel from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
Another operation carried out last month, dubbed Ops Foster 1.0, also saw a group of 15 Malaysian parents levelled with fines for faking their adopted children’s identity over 20 years ago for similar offences in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier in May, The Star reported that the National Registration Department said that more people are expected to be charged in connection with the investigation into birth certificates containing false details.
According to the department, a total of 159 birth certificates have been identified as containing discrepancies.
The department also announced a phased implementation of the overall operations, which will result in the prosecution of more people under similar laws.
The NRD said the identity cards of the children affected will be revoked pending the amendments to the birth certificates.
The department also informed The Star that one of the options being considered is the issuance of temporary identity cards for the children, referred to as MyKas.
“However, the issuance of MyKas is under the purview of the Home Minister,” said the department.
MyKas is issued under Regulation 5(3) of the National Registration Regulations 1990.
