While blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin continues to claim trial to the amended sedition charge, his counsel Gobind Singh Deo rapped the police officer and complainant in the case for giving the trial a miss despite being scheduled to be cross-examined by the defence.

The drama unraveled at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today where the blogger's trial was scheduled to resume but had to be postponed due to the absence of assistant director of the Interpol National Centre Bureau at Bukit Aman, Gan Tack Guan, who is the fifth prosecution witness in the case.

raja petra kamaruddin rpk session court kl 241108 02 Gan filed the first information report on Raja Petra following the discovery he made on the blogger's Malaysia Today website over the article ‘Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell'. He was also the chief investigation officer in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial.

DPP Roslan Mat Nor had earlier informed Sessions Judge Rozina Ayob that Gan was in Taiwan.

"I do not know the reason why he is in Taiwan or when he had left there. But I am told by the investigation officer in this case that he will only be back on Dec 21," said the DPP.

"We had already informed him of the date of the trial but did not managed to serve a subpoena," he said.

'Making a mockery'

Gobind then responded that it was not the first time Gan had done this. The last time when the defence was ready to question him, he had suddenly taken medical leave.

"Today, we are told he is in Taiwan but he had already been informed of this trial date despite the subpoena had yet to be served on him.

“He is making a mockery of the court and this proceeding. This is an unbecoming attitude of a police officer who should have upheld the law and know the court rules of the country. He should set an example for others," said the lawyer.

parliament gobind singh ban over nazri mistake 251108 03 Gobind said normally people blame the court or lawyers for the delay but in this case, it seems the police are haggering the trial.

"What are they waiting for. Are they waiting until after March to have this case heard," he said.

At this juncture, Roslan objected the notion as it had nothing to do with the case.

"We are prepared to go on with the case, it is the defence who felt they wanted to cross-examine him first before going on with the sixth and seventh witness who had already testified," he said.

Gobind then quipped, ' Siapa makan cili terasa pedas '.

raja petra kamaruddin criminal defamation sedition court cases 181208 Roslan also pointed out that following the Sessions Court's decision to allow the prosecution at the previous session to re-examine other folders on the laptop and central processing unit of Raja Petra's computers, the police found further evidence and would introduce them through the seventh witness, police computer forensic office, Wa'ie Iskal Kria Abdullah.

Following this, Rozina then asked Roslan how many more prosecution witnesses will they be producing. To this, Roslan replied three more after the seventh witness, and this included the investigating officer.

The judge then ordered the trial to resume for three days beginning Feb 10, to facilitate Gan to be cross-examined.

Raja Petra, 58, had earlier claimed trial after the Shah Alam High Court had on Monday allowed the prosecution's application for a revision to amend the sedition charge after Rozina had rejected the application on Nov 10.

The amendment included the addition of the title of the article and the website address of the alleged seditious article

The blogger has originally been charged with publishing an allegedly seditious article in Malaysia Today, at his home at No 5, Jalan BRP 5/5 Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh on April 25 this year.

The charge under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or three years' jail or both upon conviction.