Bandar Seri Begawan - Three local men were released on $5,000 bail or in default two local sureties each by the Bandar Magistrate's Court after they pleaded not guilty to charges of entering a safety zone and operating a fishing appliance without a licence on Thursday.

Senior Magistrate Haji Nabil Daraina PD Hj Badaruddin ordered Mohammad Erwan bin Matidin, Sumardi bin Timbang and Sahrool bin Ibrahim, all in their early 30s, to return on January 31, 2013 to have their trial dates fixed.

Mohammad Erwan bin Matidin, 33, Sumardi bin Timbang, 35, and Sahrool bin Ibrahim, 31, were detained by Marine Police while the defendants were anchored near the Ampa 5 Oilfield at about 1.25 pm on July 11, 2010.

The boat, engines, fishing apparatus and fish caught by the defendants were seized by the police. The defendants' catch had been sold off by the Fisheries Department for $8. Prosecuting Officer Saadatul Nazahah Hj Saiful Ashura prosecuted the case.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin