An eyewitness of a road accident that killed former Batu Sapi Member of Parliament (MP) Edmund Chong told the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu today that she saw the motorcyle Chong was riding on and the Mercedes Benz being dragged along the road after colliding with each other.

Night market trader Welmi Abdul Latif, 37, said she heard a loud bang and saw the motorcycle and the vehicle dragged together across the road for several moments before the Mercedes Benz made a right turning and stopped at a U-turn area.

“When the Mercedes Benz stopped at the U-turn, I saw the motorcyclist thrown off far away, while his motorcycle was already on the other road in the opposite direction.

edmund chong ket wah 01 “I didn’t know why the motorcycle wanted to overtake the Mercedes Benz on the right side of the car when the left lane was clear,” she said at the inquest into the death of Chong ( right ), who was killed in the accident which happened along Jalan Coastal Highway, between Sembulan and Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu at about 11.40am on Oct 9, last year.

Welmi demonstrated the incident at the accident scene before Coroner Melissa Chia.

Also present were Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai and Chong’s widow Linda Tsen, who is also the current Batu Sapi MP.

Meanwhile, Chia adjourned the court to tomorrow after ordering Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin to furnish documents of the inquest to lawyers of the Mercedes Benz driver Oi Thiam Hoo.

In applying to hold a watching brief, lawyer Nelson Anggang said he and his partner Loretto Padua needed time to study the documents as they had never received any related to the inquest that began on Aug 16.

In response to lawyers representing Chong’s family who objected to the adjournment, saying that they did not see Oi in court since the beginning despite being subpoenaed, Anggang said Oi was present in the courthouse, but did not appear in court as he was yet to be called as a witness.

Chia said it was not the court’s concern whether or not Oi had been present in court, outside the courtroom or within the vicinity of the courthouse.

- Bernama