©The New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by AVILA GERALDINE
LAHAD DATU INTRUSION: Prisons Dept okays use of place to try 30 in connection with incident
KOTA KINABALU: THE High Court is considering the Kota Kinabalu central prison as the venue for the joint trial of 30 people charged with various offences in relation to the Lahad Datu intrusion.
Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru yesterday visited a hall after attending a brief hearing for five accused who opted for new lawyers to represent them at the central prison in Kepayan here.
He was accompanied by Attorney–General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who leads the prosecution team, and state Prisons Department director Abdul Basir Mohamad, who had given permission for them to use the hall as the venue for the trial fixed from Sept 17 to 27.
Earlier, Ravinthran allowed Ismail Yasin, Basad Manuel, Binhar Salib, Anwar Salib and Atik Hussin to be represented by a team of lawyers appointed by the Philippine government through its embassy.
The defence team, led by Kuala Lumpur–based International Criminal Court counsel Datuk N. Sivananthan and assisted by local counsel James Tsai, will now represent 27 accused.
"It is their constitutional right for them to get the lawyer of their choice," said Ravinthran when allowing the applications made by the accused through individual letters to the court.
Present were the accused respective lawyers assigned by the court –– Ronny Cham, Ram Singh, Zakaria Ahmad, Abdul Ghani Zelika and Teresa Sirri.
On July 15, the five assigned lawyers told the court that they had received letters from their clients, who stated that they wished to be represented by Sivananthan.
Tsai informed the court that Zakaria and Teresa would be absorbed into their team that now comprised seven lawyers.
On June 27, 29 individuals, including a woman, pleaded not guilty in the High Court here on charges of waging war against the Yang di–Pertuan Agong, being members of a terrorist group, recruiting people as terrorists and harbouring terrorists.
Among them were Datu Amirbahar Hushin Kiram, nephew of the self–proclaimed sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram.
They were charged under Section 121 of the Penal Code for waging war against the king between Feb 9 and March 23 in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu. They face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted.
Another accused, Habil Suhaili, pleaded not guilty to being a member of a terrorist group at the Tawau High Court on July 12.