AGC awaits official confirmation of Kiram charge

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) is awaiting its Filipino counterparts to officially confirm that self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and his followers will be prosecuted.

“What am I doing? [If] they are charging, what has that got to do with me now? I am waiting, but they have not given me anything official,” Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail told Astro AWANI.

The AGC has been studying the possibility of extraditing Jamalul and his brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, who led bloody incursion into Lahad Datu in February.

Previously, Gani had said that investigations and a case must be made first before his office can consider other actions, including extradition.

It is unclear what the authorities would decide to do given that Malaysia and Philippines does not have a extradition treaty. However, it has been noted that the the case of Moro National Liberation Front (MNOF) chairman Nur Misuari, who was extradited from Malaysia to the Philippines in 2001, as a precedent.

If the Philippines decided to prosecute those linked to the Sulu sultanate intrusion into Sabah, it would be difficult for Malaysia to take further action.

Yesterday, Utusan Malaysia reported that the controversial Jamalul Kiram and close to 40 of his followers will be arrested and charged soon.

Quoting an unnammed source, the Malay daily reported that the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which was investigating the Sulu intrusion into Sabah, has submitted its report to the country’s Department of Justice.

It reported that the Sulu group will be charged for three offences including launching a war on a foreign country, possessing illegal firearms and carrying firearms during the election period as during time of the incident Philippines was going through election campaigns.

The source also said that investigation by Philippines authority reveals that the intrusion was planned as early as November last year, before they landed on the eastern coast of Sabah on Feb 12.

It added that the Philippines authority is also looking for Jamalul Kiram’s brother, Agbimuddin Kiram who is reportedly in hiding in the country.

Meanwhile, the Jamalul’s daughter ‘Princess’ Jacel Kiram yesterday claimed that the family had received information from sources "within the government" about plans to turn in the Kirams to the Malaysian government.

Spokesperson for the sultanate, Abraham Idjirani, also warned that the move would likely trigger “violent results in Mindanao.”

However, according to a report in a Philippines daily, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda denied the claim.

"It's just a claim...there's none...let's wait for (an) official statement from us," Lacierda had said.

In February, ‘royal army’ led by ‘crown prince’ Agbimuddin landed in Sabah to lay an ancestral claim over the territory. The ensuing standoff and confrontation led to the death of more than 70 people, mostly those of the militants.