Aug 6 judgment for detective corporal hassan’s case

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KOTA KINABALU: The Kota Kinabalu High Court has fixed Aug 6 for judgement on detective corporal Hassan Ali Basari who is accused of concealing information on terrorist activities in Lahad Datu early this year.

“This is a public interest case and I need some time to peruse the submissions,” said Justice P Ravinthran here yesterday after hearing out the prosecution led by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Nordin Hassan and defence counsel Ram Singh.

The accused from Semporna, who was ordered to enter his defence on July 17 faces a jail term of up to seven years or a fine or both if found guilty, under Section 130M of the Penal Code.

Earlier, Nordin submitted that the defence had failed to cast any reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.

In rebutting the contention that the prosecution had failed to adduce evidence or tender the actual tape recording, Nordin said under Section 6 of the Sosma and by virtue of Section 24 of the same Act, any information obtained through interception of communication was admissible as evidence.

He also said the accused was arrested on the night of March 3 and not on March 2 as the latter had claimed.

Nordin said it was interesting to note that although the accused had informed the duty officer at the Special Branch operations room in Lahad Datu of his meeting with a man alleged to have links with the intruders and the information he obtained, he failed to treat the matter as critical to national security by preparing a written report.

(The accused in his unsworn statement had claimed he did not make a written report on that day as he was on leave and was going to Kota Kinabalu the following day to arrange for his son’s engagement.)

Meanwhile, Ram Singh urging the court to acquit and discharge the accused, submitted that the prosecution had failed to proof its case beyond reasonable doubt.

“The prosecution is relying heavily on the interception of telephone conversations and the use of anonymous witnesses, protected witnesses whose credibilities are not reliable and who are not truthful witnesses,” he said. — Bernama