Lawyer Hanipa Maidin claimed today that a panel member of the military court hearing the case against Major Zaidi Ahmad reviewed the case by leaving a comment on a news story published by Malaysiakini .

Hanipa claims that the owner of the account going by the name 'Saadon T'son' left a comment on the website through his Facebook account on the Malay version of the Malaysiakini article titled ‘Major Zaidi's guilty of having courage, court told’.

The lawyer also claimed that the man behind the account, alleged to be the judge presiding in the military court, had commented, “...stay in the village if you do not want to be a soldier” ( duduk di kampung sahaja jika tak nak jadi tentera ).

Hanipa therefore urged that the court panel members handling the case against the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officer be dismissed.

According to the lawyer, who is also a PAS central committee member, Zaidi realised the posting last Nov 1 and he complained about the matter to the Butterworth Air Force base commandant by sending an official letter.

Hence, Zaidi asked that the court martial panel hearing the case be disbanded, and that the remaining two charges on him be dropped as there is biasness in the judge with the comment.

“My case is also read by the alternative media and the action against me had resulted in a bad reputation to the Air Force and the army in the eyes of the people. I want the court to be disbanded and my charges dropped,” he said.

The court will deliver its decision on Nov 24, following this application. He was stipulated to enter his defence today after a prima facie case was called on the two charges of making a media statement without the consent of the Armed Forces Council.

Meanwhile, election watchdog group Bersih 2.0, in a statement, urged an in-depth investigation on the allegation and urged that the convening authority (judges panel) study the matter seriously.

“If investigations shows the comment was made by one of the judges, it means the matter has been pre-judged in this case.

“Hence the convening authority should dissolve this court immediately so there is justice. We also urge the council to drop the charges on Zaidi and his post returned.

“Zaidi's comment on the non-functioning indelible ink in early voting was made in the name of justice and truth, which are values which should be appreciated and not punished,” Bersih added in the statement.