Corporal Hassan Basari, a Special Branch officer accused of withholding information about the Sulu gunmen told the High Court on Wednesday that among those who knew about the impending intrusion was Sabah police Special Branch deputy chief Senior Asst Comm Zulkifli Abd Aziz.
‘’Zulkifli had the initial information about the possible Sulu gunmen intrusion and their claims well before the incident occurred at Kampung Tanduo,’’ he said when reading an unsworn statement at the court.
Hassan, 58, was charged under Section 130M of the Penal Code for withholding information about the intrusion and was alleged to have committed the offence at the Lahad Datu police Special Branch office between January and March 3.
The accused claimed whatever information he had gathered on the case, he had relayed to his Special Branch superiors.
Among the specific information he submitted was a report from a contact in southern Philippines on Feb 21 that groups of Sulu people in Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi were preparing to help the intruders.
Hassan said he had also informed his supervisor Sergeant Major Safwan Sairin on Feb 28 that Esmail Kiram had met former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) soldiers in Zamboanga.
He had also alerted the Lahad Datu Special Branch operations room on March 1 after receiving information that about 200 Suluk people were awaiting in Bungao in southern Philippines to help the intruders.
Hassan claimed Zulkifli never informed them about the Sulu sultanate claims.
Reading from an 18-page statement before Justice Ravinthran Paramaguru, Hassan took nearly an hour to finish, after which his lawyer Ram Singh said the defence was closing their case.
Hassan was ordered to enter his defence on July 17.
Justice Ravinthran subsequently fixed Aug 2 to hear submissions.
Earlier in his statement, Hassan said Zulkifli had testified in the court that he (Zulkifli) had met the brother of the self-styled Sulu sultan Jamallul Kiram, Esmail Kiram, in Kota Kinabalu on Dec 2012.
“Zulkifli never alerted us at the Lahad Datu Special branch office about the Sulu sultanate claims and their threat on Sabah,” he said.
Hassan said he constantly orally relayed any information he had about the Sulu sultanate and the intrusion at Kampung to his Special Branch colleagues and superiors in Lahad Datu.\
“Between Feb 19 and March 2, we met daily to channel any information we had from our intelligence gathering activities in Lahad Datu town,” he said.
According to Hassan, Lahad Datu Special Branch chief Asst Supt Noraidin Awang Maidin instructed him to contact all his sources in and outside of Lahad Datu to obtain any information about the Sulu sultanate.
‘’I did as what I was told and the information I received was typed by Constable Kifli into the computer which was used by my colleague Corporal Ajirah Sulaiman,” he said.
The police veteran with 38 years of experience under his belt, said he had never received any directive from the Sabah Special Branch chief that all information channelled to his colleagues or superiors must be in written form.
Source: The Borneo Insider
SO THE POOR SERGEANT IS TO BE BLAMED FOR KUALA LUMPUR'S SHOCKING DEFENCE MALFUNCTION & DERELICTIONS OF DUTY FOR SABAH SECURITY?
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