IPOH, Nov 12 – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today accused defence counsels of harassing their star witness and his family members during the graft trial involving two former PKR state executive councillors.
MACC prosecution unit head Datuk Abdul Razak Musa said the defence counsels in the case had “crossed the limit” when they sent people over to snap pictures of Mohamad Imran Abdullah’s home in Kampung Baru Jelapang here.
Mohamad Imran had acted as the commission’s agent provocateur in the case and is the prosecution’s sixth witness to testify against the five accused.
“They have really gone too far this time, Your Honour. I think this is really unnecessary. As it is, we have already allowed Mohamad Imran to be exposed to criticism in court for 10 days now.
“There is no need for the defence team to harass him and his family,” he told the court this afternoon.
Sessions Court Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh looked surprised at Abdul Razak’s objection and immediately ordered him to explain himself.
“Well Your Honour, two people were seen hanging around outside Mohamad Imran’s home today and they were snapping pictures of it.
“When they were asked who they were, they said that they had been sent there by the defence team. It is very bad to do these things, Your Honour. Why are they harassing his family?” he said.
Abdul Razak added that Mohamad Imran should not be subjected to such harassment, which was irrelevant to the case.
“It is already bad enough as it is when he is taken to pieces in court and we allow the defence to continue.
“But now he even feels anxious wherever he goes – he always feels as though he is being followed. This is unnecessary to the case, Your Honour,” he said, adding that he had already been “very patient” throughout the trial.
Not to be outdone however, defence counsel Surjan Singh stood up then to argue his case saying that the defence team had nothing to hide and had not been transcending boundaries.
“Your Honour, we would not be so dishonest to this honourable court. We have nothing to hide here. I am doing my job professionally.
“Mohamad Imran had supplied this address of his to the courtroom and I had reason to believe that he had been lying as he did not reside in that house.
“In fact, we were told that no one at all stayed in the house,” he said.
Surjan Singh said that in view of this information, he had instructed his client to obtain evidence of such a claim.
“This was why the brother of one of the accused had gone to the home to take pictures. He did not step into the house.
“He had even produced to the occupants of the house his MyKad details. The pictures he snapped were merely of the outside and not the inside,” he said.
Surjan Singh then invited Harin Hassan, the brother of former Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan, an accused in the case, to stand and show himself to the court.
He added that the purpose and relevance of the act was to prove the credibility of the witness, whom he claimed had been lying throughout the trial.
“Although my client claimed Mohamad Imran had not been staying at the house for the past two years, I still needed evidence to prove this.
“Otherwise, I will look like a bloody fool in court if I accuse him of lying,” said Surjan Singh.
Upon listening to the arguments Judge Azhaniz Teh declared that the court would not interfere with the defence team’s investigation methods.
“However, if Mohamad Imran or his family members feel threatened or harassed, they should lodge a police report,” he advised.
Later, Mohamad Imran told the court that the house on Jalan Taiping in Kampung Baru Jelapang was not his own but his mother’s.
“My mother and brother stay there,” he said.
He also denied that he had not stayed in the house for the past two years.
Surjan Singh tendered to the court as evidence, the three pictures that Harin had snapped, one of the house’s exterior and two of the street outside.
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