IPOH: The High Court here has set four days to hear testimony from two new witnesses from Indonesia regarding the evidence submitted by former Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong Choo Kiong in his conviction for raping his maid.
Yong's counsel, Salim Bashir, said the witnesses—identified as the victim's lawyer and a notary public—are scheduled to testify on Jan 13, 14, 21, and 22 next year.
"At present, two witnesses are expected from Indonesia. These dates are tentative as we are unsure what the witnesses in Jakarta will say," he said.
Salim spoke to reporters outside the courtroom after a case management session before High Court deputy registrar Nur Laila Mohamed Nazil today.
When asked if the victim would also need to testify again, Salim said the defence team would make every effort to bring her to court.
"We will put it on record and, if we cannot bring her, we will inform the court," he said.
Yong's lead counsel, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said the proceedings follow an order from the Federal Court permitting the defence to submit additional evidence.
"The additional evidence consists of five highly significant documents. The Federal Court has instructed us to present this evidence at the High Court.
"The High Court will evaluate the evidence and consider submissions from both the defence and prosecution. It will then provide its opinion to the Federal Court, which will use it during the main appeal," he said.
Hisyam added that while the court has set tentative dates, they remain subject to confirmation by the High Court judge.
The prosecution is led by Perak Prosecution director Muhammad Zaki Abdul Kudos, Yasinnisa Begam Seeni Mohideen, and Liyana Zawani Mohd Radzi.
On Nov 12, according to Free Malaysia Today, the Federal Court granted Yong leave to adduce purportedly crucial evidence in his final attempt to overturn a conviction for rape committed five years ago.
Yong is seeking to include documents related to a recent confession allegedly made by his former maid, the victim in the case.
He claims the confession, purportedly made sometime in May, involved the woman saying she regretted making a "false statement" during his trial.
On Aug 23, 2019, Yong claimed trial on the charge of raping his Indonesian maid at his home in Meru Desa Park on July 7 between 8.15pm and 9.15pm.