Malaysia legislation
Section 18
Section 18
⎯(1) Subject to subsection (2), where a Native Court imposes any penalty, it may direct that, in default of payment of the penalty, the offender shall suffer a period of imprisonment which shall be in accordance with the following scale:
where the penalty the period of imprisonment shall not exceed does not exceed fifty ringgit one month exceeds fifty ringgit but does not exceed one hundred ringgit two months exceeds one hundred ringgit but does not exceed two hundred ringgit four months exceeds two hundred ringgit but does not exceed five hundred ringgit six months exceeds five hundred ringgit twelve months
(2)
Nothing in this section shall confer on any Native Court over which a Magistrate does not preside power to direct that any person be imprisoned but, if any person neglects or refuses to pay any penalty imposed by such Court, the person presiding in such Court shall report the fact to a Magistrate and the Magistrate shall, subject to section 15, thereupon have power to take, and shall take, such action to recover the penalty or imprison the offender as it would have taken if the penalty had been imposed by itself.
(3)
The imprisonment which is imposed in default of payment of a penalty shall terminate whenever that penalty is either paid or levied by process of law.
(4)
Where a term of imprisonment is imposed by a court in default of the payment of a penalty that term shall, on payment or levy of a part of such sum, be proportionally reduced.
(5)
If the accused has served the full sentence of imprisonment, he shall no longer be liable for payment of the penalty.
Power to award compensation and to make orders