PENAMPANG: Sabah and Sarawak would probably need four such mobile courtrooms to meet the demand in each state, said Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Tan Sri Richard Malanjum.
In Sabah’s case, two of the mobile courtrooms will be stationed in the west coast while the other two will be at the east coast, he told reporters after the launching of the Sabah’s first mobile courtroom by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman here yesterday.
For Sarawak, the proposed districts to station the mobile courtrooms are Miri, Sibu, Kucing and Bintulu, he said.
Malanjum disclosed that the mobile courtroom will be used to hear all types of cases that can be tried by the Magistrate’s and Sessions Courts.
“If there is a need, we can even try High Court cases,” he said, adding that with the mobile courtroom, the Sabah Judiciary can access even the remotest places in the state.
This will not only save time and money of those involved in the cases but also act as a deterrent for ‘would-be criminals’.
“We can tell the public especially children, that if they commit a crime, they will end up inside the mobile courtroom,” he said with a laugh.
According to him further, in the past, cases were tried at the Native Courts premises in the respective districts but villagers from remote areas have
problem attending the hearing.
The mobile facility also saves the Government money as it need not build court houses in all the smaller districts, he added.
Sabah Courts director Ismail Brahim told reporters that the mobile courtroom had been used in Donggongon, Tuaran and Bongawan since April and 99 cases had been heard in the courtroom so far.
“Over the next three months, we have identified several small towns along the west coast of Sabah that will be visited by the mobile courtroom.
“It will not only hear small cases like traffic offences and summonses, but is also capable of hearing crime cases,” he said.
At present, he said the mobile courtroom would convene in front of a bank or police station as these spots could easily be located by the local residents.
He also said that the mobile courtroom only costs about RM250,000 whereas the Government will have to spend between RM5 million and RM8 million to build a court building.
Ismail also requested for more buses to be converted into mobile courtrooms and Musa said that the government would consider the request.