A three-member Court of Appeal panel comprising justices Kamaludin Said, Nordin Hassan and Hashim Hamzah dismissed M Mullaimalar’s appeal against her conviction and sentence.

Mullaimalar, who previously obtained a stay of execution of her jail sentence and was released on a RM40,000 bail in one surety pending disposal of her appeal, was ordered by the court to begin her five-year jail term today.

The court upheld the Dec 16, 2020 decision of the sessions court, which found Mullaimalar guilty of the offence and sentenced her to five years’ jail and a RM10,000 fine, in default six months’ jail. The court also ordered her to pay RM4,500 in compensation to the victim.

On Aug 25 last year, the High Court dismissed her appeal.

Nordin, who delivered the court’s unanimous decision, said based on the evidence, the prosecution had proven its case against Mullaimalar.

He also said there was no reason for the court to disturb the decision of the sessions court in imposing the five-year jail term on Mullaimalar, which was also upheld by the High Court.

Deputy public prosecutor How May Ling asked the court to increase the jail term to between seven and 10 years.

Mullaimalar, a beauty boutique manager and wedding planner, was found guilty by the sessions court on Dec 16, 2020 of trafficking Darsem Warsa, 45, for the purpose of exploiting her by using force and other forms of coercion.

She committed the offence at a house in Taman Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru, Johor between March and Nov 26, 2017.

According to the evidence, the victim, who was employed as a maid by Mullaimalar, was exploited by her employer, who used force and threatened her. The victim also testified that she was beaten and was given only one meal a day.

In her defence, Mullaimalar, who was represented by lawyers N Rhubini and K Bharathi from the National Legal Aid Foundation, denied she had forced the victim to do any work or abused her.