Jawi officer: No warrants during raids

KUALA LUMPUR: A Federal Terri­tory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) officer told the magistrate’s court here that warrants were never produced during the raids he was involved in, drawing murmurs from the public gallery.

“Every time I am at the location (of a raid), I never see a warrant produced,” the officer, Mohd Johan Mohd Ridzuan, said.

He was testifying under cross-examination by defence counsel Suzana Norlihan Alias, who asked whether there was a warrant during the raid at a transgender event at the hotel on the night of April 3, 2016.

Mohd Johan, who was the assigned videographer during the raid, was testifying yesterday at the trial of lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of obstructing Jawi enforcement officer Siti Nor Jihan Saleh @ Md Ghazali from executing her duties.

Ongoing trial: Siti Kasim (right) accompanied by fellow lawyer Azlan Abdul Razak at the magistrate’s court in Kuala Lumpur.

Siti Kasim, whose full name is Siti Zabedah Kasim, was alleged to have committed the offence at a ballroom of a hotel here.

When asked by the defence for the reason for the raid, Mohd Johan said he was only told that a beauty contest was taking place.

But he admitted that none of the participants on stage for the alleged beauty contest were arrested.

He also admitted that the video footage he captured that night showed Siti Kasim cooperating during the raid.

He also agreed with the defence’s suggestion that the people who obstructed Jawi officials that night were hotel workers.

The hearing continues today.