TAWAU: Six policemen, including the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscomm) intelligence chief, were charged with the murder of an e-hailing driver at an oil palm estate on Jan 13.
Datuk Mat Zaki Md Zain, 58, who holds the rank of senior assistant commissioner, was charged with abetting the five other policemen and a civilian in the murder of Nurman Bakaratu, 61, at the estate in Jalan Anjur Juara, near here, between 7.30pm and 10.30pm that day.
All the others — policemen Rosdi Rastam, 44; Denis Anat Anit, 44; Fabian Rungam, 43; Khairul Azman Bakar, 47; Mohd Azlan Sakaran, 39; and civilian Vivien Fabian, 34 — were charged with murder.
Mat Zaki was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code while the rest were charged under Section 302 of the same law.
All were charged before magistrate Dzul Elmy Mohd Yunus. However, no pleas were recorded as murder falls under the purview of the High Court.
Prosecution was handled deputy public prosecutors Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad, Khairul Azreem Mamat, Muhammad Ilmami Ahmad, Rohaiza Abdul Rahman and Mohammad Fakhrurrazi Ahmad Salim.
Counsels Chen Wen Jye, Ram Singh and Kimberly Ye represented Khairul Azman while Kamarudin Chengki and Timothy Daut represented Rosdi.
Meanwhile, Dzul Elmy allowed an application for two other policemen, Usman Lanaga and John Kennedy Sanggah, and a civilian, Shim Vui Nyen, all of whom will be returning as prosecution witnesses, to be released on court bond.
The court also set April 11 for re-mention.