Chan Koon Pheng, 40, was heard calling after her children and telling them that she did not want to go to prison, Utusan Malaysia reported.

Chan and her husband, Tan Kok Teong, 42, had earlier pleaded not guilty to nine charges each read to them before sessions court judge Ooi Sheow Yean.

They are accused of trafficking Indonesian women for forced labour between August 2025 and May this year at multiple locations across the Timur Laut, Barat Daya and Seberang Perai Tengah districts of Penang.

The charges, framed under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, carry a maximum 20-year jail term and a fine, upon conviction.

Chan also separately claimed trial to four similar charges in the same court, and pleaded not guilty to two additional charges in another court before judge Roslan Hamid.

Deputy public prosecutor Lee Jun Keong urged the courts to impose bail at RM20,000 per charge, with additional conditions including surrender of the couple’s passports, reporting to the nearest police station once a month, and not to contact prosecution witnesses, pending disposal of the case.

Defence lawyer Arvend Rajan appealed for a lower bail, saying that Chan is the family’s primary breadwinner, earning between RM3,000 and RM5,000 a month.

The court set bail at RM10,000 per charge with one surety each, bringing the total to RM240,000 for the couple.

The case before Ooi has been fixed for mention on June 30 pending document submission, while proceedings before Roslan will be mentioned on July 2.