MELAKA — Two state assemblymen and a chief officer of a corporation were charged in the Sessions Court here today for supporting the LTTE terrorist group in November last year.
The accused, G. Saminathan, 34, P. Gunasekaran, 60, and S. Chandru, 38 were charged with committing the offence at an event held at Dewan Kasturi Ayer Keroh, Jalan Utama, Taman Ayer Keroh Heights here at between 8.30 p.m. until 10.50 p.m. on Nov 28, 2018 under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code which provides for a sentence of life imprisonment or a maximum of 30 years or fine, and forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used for the offence, if found guilty.
Saminathan was also charged with an additional count of possessing items with elements of terrorist acts or connected to the LTTE in a dark blue Samsung Galaxy S9+ handphone at the office of the Unity, Human Resources and Consumer Affairs exco, in the Chief Minister’s Office, Kompleks Seri Negeri here at 10.25 a.m. on Oct 10, under Section 130JB(1)(a) of the Penal Code which provides for a jail sentence of up to seven years or fine, and any of the items to be forfeited, if found guilty.
The three accused nodded to indicate they understood the charges which were read out in the presence of Judge Elesabet Paya Wan, but no pleas were recorded.
The court set Dec 16 for a re-mention of the case and all the accused were taken to the Sungai Buloh Prison.
Prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and Mohd Izhanudin Alias, while the three accused were represented by five counsels led by Ramkarpal Singh.
Earlier, reporters were prohibited from entering the court as only family members and dignitaries were allowed in for the proceedings.
When met, Muhamad Iskandar told reporters that the sections did not allow for bail as all the accused were charged under Chapter 6a of the Penal Code because the Sessions Court did not have the authority to make a decision involving Section 13 SOSMA.
The vehicle carrying the three accused left the Melaka Court Complex at 10.45 a.m..
— BERNAMA
