The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court has acquitted PKR vice-president Tian Chua, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and 12 others of participating in an illegal assembly during the Bersih rally in 2007, and refusing orders to disperse.

However, another two accused of the same charge, identified as Muhd Harith Fathillah Shahbudin and Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan, were found guilty.

PAS party organ HarakahDaily quoted Judge Jagjit Singh Bant Singh’s decision today, who said that he was satisfied with Mohamad’s and Tian Chua’s testimonies and that there had been no impediment for them to submit the memorandum to the Agong during the protest.

NONE The former, also popularly known as Mat Sabu ( right ), had reportedly told the court that he had the police’s permission to walk to the palace for the memorandum’s submission.

HarakahDaily also quoted Mohamad, who expressed regret over Gobalakrishnan’s and Harith’s conviction.

“What I want to say is, for any peaceful and unarmed rally, it is better that the attorney-general drops all such cases - whether old or recent - because the charging of such cases is no longer popular,” he was quoted as saying.

The report does not mention the penalty imposed for the two convictions.

A total of 17 people were initially charged for allegedly holding an illegal assembly and refusing to disperse during the Nov 4, 2007 rally at several places throughout Kuala Lumpur. However, one of them, Mohd Asri Ahmad, had since passed away in 2011.

Others who were also acquitted today are Mohd Salim Yeslam, Ahmad Razali Abd Rahman, Razali Abdul, Saleh Mohamad Tahir, Azahar Yusop, Sulaiman Ahmad, Taib Abdullah, Mohd Abi Salam Ariffin, Ishak Othman, and Mohd Zad Abdullah.

The remaining two were considered juveniles at the time of the offence.

The same judge had previously acquitted the group of the charges in 2010 without ordering them to enter defence.

However, this was overturned when the prosecution appealed to the High Court, which ordered to group to return to the Session’s Court to enter defence. The accused’s appeal to the High Court’s decision was then turned down by the Appellate Court.