Court grants leave for two PKR defectors to attend state assembly

By Clara Chooi
IPOH, Oct 20 – Defence counsels in the corruption trial of two former PKR state executive councillors raised objections today when a Sessions Court judge approved a three-day adjournment from Oct 28 to allow the two assemblymen to attend the state assembly sitting.

Lawyers Mohd Asri Othman and Surjan Singh, who are representing two other accused in the same trial, said the adjournment was unnecessary since there was a need for the case to be expedited.

“What is so special about these two that we need to call for an adjournment? Their presence is not necessary in the state assembly hall,” argued Surjan Singh.

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Earlier, it was lawyer Mohd Roni Abdul Rahman, who is representing both the former PKR men Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, 57, and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, 52, who had applied to the court for the adjournment before the trial commenced.

Mohd Roni had produced the notices signed by Assembly Secretary Zamari Mohd Ramli and delivered on Oct 12, requesting for all state assemblymen to attend the Oct 28 sitting.

Upon his request however, Mohd Asri, who is also from PKR, told Sessions Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh: “They are not needed in the assembly hall to pass any law. There is already quorum without their presence.”

Despite the objections, Judge Azhaniz Teh told Abdul Roni after the trial in the afternoon that his request would be granted.

He added to the other two defence counsels that he agreed with their contention “but I am going to have to allow it.”

Surjan Singh raised further objections and Judge Azhaniz Teh said: “We will see.”

Outside the courtroom later, Surjan Singh told reporters that he had no intention of dropping the matter and would further insist to the court for the case to move on even on Oct 28.

“We have already been told to expedite this case and ensure it is finished by December so why should he (the Judge) grant leave for these two to attend the assembly?” he said.

Surjan Singh added that during the trial last Thursday, the court had very nearly disallowed a longer adjournment in view of the Deepavali celebration over the weekend.

“They very nearly wanted to proceed with the case on Friday (Deepavali was on Saturday),” he said.

Should the court reverse its decision and disallow the adjournment, this would mean that the state assembly would see Barisan Nasional (BN) with only a wafer-thin majority of just one seat over the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) during the sitting.

Currently, the BN administration has 31 lawmakers on their side, including BN-friendly Independents Jamaluddin, Mohd Osman and Jelapang assemblyman Hee Yit Foong, who had earlier defected from DAP.

PR, on the other hand, has 28 assemblymen. Without Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman, the BN would only have 29 assemblymen to PR's 28, a precarious situation given the fluid and unpredictable political scene in Perak.