Defendant in Sabah’s largest drug ring can’t afford lawyer

KOTA KINABALU: One of the 11 accused in Sabah’s largest drug smuggling syndicate told the Sessions Court that he could not afford to hire a lawyer.

Mahathir Jibarail, who was the last accused charged with being part of a criminal organisation, said he did not have the money to hire a lawyer.

“I can’t afford a lawyer,” he told the court when asked if he wanted to have a lawyer to represent him.

Earlier, the 49-year-old accused appeared in the dock before Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim when the charges were read to him yesterday.

The alleged kingpin of the group, dubbed Geng Upik, Datuk Maslan Sani, was also not represented by a lawyer when the charges were read in the same court.

Maslan, who is a patron of an NGO, informed the court that he had a lawyer representing him when he was in Kuala Lumpur.

The proceedings went ahead with the charges read to him without a lawyer.

The accused then told the court that he understood the charges.

The other four accused – Insp Rahman Burijin, 44; businessman Nelson Yen Yee Chung, 46; Alkan Abraham, 35; and Maslan Mahmud, 49 – were also not represented.

Five other accused – Jaysalfian Jaineh @ Zaini, 45, was represented by lawyer Mohd Amirul Amin; Mohd Fauzie Rablin, 33, was represented by Sylyester Kuan, while Shahlan Shah Abdul Samad, 37; Mohd Faridzul Asmahadi, 31; and Fazrul Bahar, 32; were represented by lawyers Shahlan Jufri and Mohd Lokman Zabidi.

All 11 were charged under Section 130V (1) of the Penal Code for being members of a criminal organisation at various times between early 2015 and up to Dec 24, 2023.

No pleas were recorded from all the accused.