Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong arrives at the Ipoh High Court March 16, 2022. – Malay Mail photo
IPOH (March 16): Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong, who stands accused of raping his former Indonesian domestic helper, told the High Court here today that he was the victim of a political ploy.
The former state executive councillor said it was part of a conspiracy to bring him down as the Perak Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was formed after the 14th general election with a simple majority of only three seats.
He said at the time, the PH government would have fallen if it had lost at least two assemblymen.
“I also heard rumours that I might have been replaced as an executive council member due to the unstable PH government in 2019.
“And the date of the alleged incident was very close to the swearing-in ceremony for executive council members,” Yong said.
He was testifying under oath on the witness stand before Judge Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed today after being ordered to enter his defence for the rape charge.
Yong, who recently joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) after quitting DAP, claimed certain parties envied him because he held five portfolios under his executive council member post at the time.
“I believe I had political enemies. At the time, I could sense I was being followed by different cars every time I left the office to return home.
“Also, my neighbour, who is a politician, told me that cars had stopped in front of my house a few times,” he said.
Yong added that he had received several poison-pen letters and strange calls to his landline, and individuals had visited his house allegedly masquerading as Census Department personnel.
During cross-examination, state prosecution director Azlina Rashdi asked Yong if he had lodged any police report over the incidents, to which he said no.
Azlina then suggested that he made up his version of the rape accusation being a political ploy as the state government did not fell immediately after he was charged in the court, which Yong denied.
Yong also denied raping his former domestic helper and telling her not to mention what had happened to his wife, as both of them would “die”.
Meanwhile, Yong’s wife Too Choon Looi, 46, who also testified today, said that her husband could not have raped the domestic helper as she left the house on the said date for approximately 10 minutes.
Too said it would have been impossible for her husband to rape the domestic helper in 10 minutes and that the domestic helper “behaved normally” on the day of the alleged incident and the following day as well.
Too also said that her husband was never alone with the domestic helper when she left the house with their son on a McDonald’s run during the time of the alleged incident.
“I saw my husband’s friend’s car still parked in front of our house and I heard their voices when I left the house and also when I came back,” she said.
When Azlina asked if she saw her husband’s friend leaving and returning to the house, Too admitted that she only heard his voice.
Too also said after Yong’s friend left, they chatted in the kitchen, headed upstairs to shower, had sex, and fell asleep.
She also refuted Azlina’s suggestion that her testimony today was merely a cover-up to save her husband and that her husband had really raped the domestic helper.
When lead counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh asked her to explain why she had shot down Azlina’s suggestion, Too replied, “I did not agree because I’m here today to tell the truth and I would not side with my husband if he had committed any act which is wrong in the eyes of the law.”
Two more witnesses, one of whom is a senior lawyer, are expected to be called by the defence team to testify when the trial resumes on March 31.
On December 7, the High Court here ordered Yong to enter his defence for the charge of raping his former Indonesian domestic helper two years ago.
Abdul Wahab made the ruling against the 51-year-old after finding that the prosecution had successfully shown prima facie at the end of its case.
Yong was first charged in the Sessions Court here on August 23, 2019, when he was the state Housing, Local Government, Public Transport, Non-Islamic Affairs and New Villages Committee chairman.
He was charged under Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code, which carries a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years and is liable to whipping, if found guilty.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge of raping his Indonesian domestic helper at his house in Meru Desa Park on July 7, 2019 between 8.15pm and 9.15pm.
The case was mentioned in the Sessions Court but, on December 15 last year, the Federal Court allowed an application by the defence to transfer the case to the High Court. – Malay Mail