Civil case against Taib’s sister

KUCHING: The civil case brought by Numpang Anak Suntai and Iban NCR landowners of Sebangan against Quality Concrete Holdings, a company of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s sister Raziah will be heard on August 8, 2011.

Included in the suit is also its contractor, the Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd. Together the two companies had allegedly encroached into the Ibans’ 3,305 hectares of forest which is part of their NCR land.

Several hundreds of millions of ringgit worth of rare species of timber had allegedly been felled from the NCR land.

The licence given to Raziah was approved by the Forest Department.

Meanwhile, last Friday the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) has withdrawn his appeal against Numpang Anak Suntai, a native customary rights (NCR) land activist after the case came up before the court.

The case was supposed to be heard three times previously, but it had to be adjourned as the police failed to prepare their appeal against him.

Numpang was acquitted in March this year after Magistrate Sharizat Ismail found out that the prosecution had failed to put up a prima facie case against him for criminal intimidation.

The case which was heard in Simunjan was brought against him by the Quality Concrete Holdings and its contractor Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd.

Numpang together with six others were arrested after fire destroyed the campsite of the Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd.

In that fire, six tractors, two logging trucks, a pick-up and excavator were damaged which the company estimated to be more than RM2 million.

Numpang alone was charged.

See Chee How, who defended Numpang said the appeal case was to be heard on Friday as well as the hearing of motion to strike the appeal.

But the DPP withdrew the appeal, he said.

See pointed out that what is interesting in the case is the involvement of a police officer who has been harassing Numpang.

“The main thing about this case is why Sergeant A. Rambli bin Haji Dinsin, who is the officer in charge of the Sebuyau Police station called Numpang to come to court saying that there is a subpoena against him to attend the court.

“He must attend, otherwise they will arrest him. In actual fact there is no subpoena. And the hearing on Friday was the fourth time Numpang had to come to court without any notice from the court,” See said.

“Numpang flew all the way from Miri to come to Kuching to attend the court. He was in Miri visiting the children.

“We want to know why this Sergeant Rambli is taking that kind of personal interest in the case. He has been telling lies all this while.

“It has nothing to do with him. Why is he calling Numpang? Is it because of the background of the company?” said See, pointing out that there was no need for him to attend the court case as there was no notice from the court.

See said that Numpang has already instructed him to file a legal action against the Police in Simunjan for ‘malicious prosecution’ as well as to make a Police report against Sergeant Rambli for telling lies and threatening to arrest Numpang.

“We will lodge a Police report against the sergeant, before we sue him and claim damages,” See said.