Bandar Seri Begawan - An Indonesian national, 27, was sentenced to jail for one year after he pleaded guilty to six charges under the Passports Act and admitted to 16 offences taken into consideration for sentencing before the Magistrate's Court in the capital yesterday.

On several occasions between April 2011 and October 2012, Edi Sucipto together with a Bruneian national, Hj Roynifarilan bin Zaini, took delivery of passports belonging to Indonesian citizens in Brunei for the purpose of forging visit pass endorsements in their passports so that they would be allowed to remain in Brunei following the expiry of the endorsements.

The defendant charged about $50 per forged endorsement.

On October 22, 2012, at 5pm, the Immigration Enforcement personnel raided the place of stay of one of the defendant's friends, Anita Vidianti.

It was on the first floor of Bangunan Muhib-bah, Kampong Menglait, where 19 passports along with cash were seized by officers.

Subsequently, investigations have shown that the passports contained forged endorsements.

The defendant admitted that he had assisted Hj Roynifarilan bin Zaini in forging the visit pass endorsements found in the passports by delivering them to him.

Hj Roynifarilan bin Zaini would then stamp the forged visit pass endorsements in the passports.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin