Lokman Adam's contempt case to be heard on Aug 3

KUALA LUMPUR: The hearing for the contempt of court case involving former UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, who was accused of insulting a court policeman and questioning the court system in the trial of Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, will be heard on Aug 3.

Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah set the date after lawyer K. Balaguru, representing Lokman, told the court that his client wanted the proceedings to continue after he was advised against apologising for his actions.

"I advised Lokman not to apologise for something he did not do. The incident took place in a public gallery and did not disrupt the ongoing court proceedings," said the lawyer, who also informed the court that his client had written an apology letter addressed to the court on Monday.

Referring to the apology letter Sequerah however, said: "We cannot allow the public to come to court and make their own rules as they please while a case is ongoing and challenge the police to do their job. Whatever business he (Lokman) had in the court, he was not a court reporter or a legal observer."

The judge also rejected Lokman's application for the case to be heard before another judge as the incident took place in his court and he was entitled to hear the case.

Earlier, Balaguru requested that the case be heard before another judge as it was only based on hearsay.

"My client did not call the court policeman 'stupid' as informed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran who handled Ahmad Zahid's case to the court on June 30, instead he said the court's standard operating procedures (SOP) were 'stupid' for being unfair to him.

"The policeman told the senior assistant registrar who then told the matter to Raja Rozela before she informed the court," the lawyer said, adding that the incident should have been investigated first before the court issued a show-cause notice to Lokman.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Izalina Abdullah, who assisted the court in the proceedings, objected to the lawyer's application for another judge to hear the case as the incident took place before Judge Sequerah and he was entitled to hear it.

She said when in court, there are rules that one needs to follow so that proceedings can run smoothly, adding that when a person does not follow the rules, it is considered contempt of court.

Meanwhile, Balaguru said he would apply to subpoena Raja Rozela next week to cross-examine her, to which Izalina objected on the grounds that it was sufficient to call the court policeman to give evidence.

Judge Sequerah later allowed Balaguru to subpoena Raja Rozela.

-- BERNAMA