Jawi officer: I did not know Siti was a lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR: A Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) enforcement officer told a magistrate’s court here that she was not aware that activist Siti Kasim was a lawyer when it raided a closed-door beauty pageant two years ago.

Siti Nor Jihan Saleh @ Md Ghazali told counsel Suzana Norlihan Alias during cross-examination that she did not know that Siti was at the event to discharge her duty as a lawyer appointed by the event’s organiser.

However, Nor Jihan agreed that it was Siti’s duty to ask Jawi enforcement officers for a warrant to be produced before making any arrest.

Asked if it was compulsory for Siti, as a lawyer, to look at the warrant before a raid could be carried out, Nor Jihan replied: “I do not know because I am not a lawyer.”

“I also did not know that Siti has a powerful voice,” Nor Jihan said before magistrate Maizatul Munirah Abd Rahman at the trial of Siti who was charged with obstructing Nor Jihan from executing her duties during a raid at the transgender event at a hotel here on April 3, 2016.

The defence tried to establish that Siti did not scream at Jawi enforcement officers when the raid was conducted, as claimed by Nor Jihan.

Siti, whose real name is Siti Zabedah Kasim, was charged under Section 186 of the Penal Code with obstructing a public servant in discharging her public functions.

The offence carries a jail sentence of up to two years, a fine of up to RM10,000 or both upon conviction.

The trial has been adjourned to July 27.