The news the mainstream media somehow ‘missed’

Roslan told the court he had never accused that Datuk Ramli Yussof had abused his power as a senior police officer to ask residents in several villages within the land owned by Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd to vacate their land.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Ketua kampung denies accusing Ramli of power abuse
Published by Daily Express on Thursday, January 22, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: A prosecution witness told the Sessions Court here Wednesday that he had never reported to the Anti-Corruption Agency (now Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) that a senior police officer from Bukit Aman had abused his power on June 25, 2007.

Ketua Kampung (village chief) of Kampung Lok Buani, Tungku Lahad Datu, Roslan Abdul Hamid, also denied that he had stated to that effect during his telephone conversation with Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) Assistant Commissioner Sok One Essen at the end of June 2007.

He told the court he had never accused that Datuk Ramli Yussof had abused his power as a senior police officer to ask residents in several villages within the land owned by Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd to vacate their land.

Roslan was testifying in Ramli's corruption trial before Judge Supang Lian and was being cross-examined by the former police officer's leading counsel Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Ramli, 56, is on trial on a charge of using a police airplane for aerial surveillance of two pieces of land in Ulu Tungku, Lahad Datu, owned by Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd, of which he had an interest.

Ramli, then the Commercial Crime Department Director in Bukit Aman, allegedly committed the offence at 7.50am on June 15, 2007 at the Sabah Police Air Unit in Tanjung Aru, here.

The offence, framed under Section 15(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, carries imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and a minimum fine of RM10,000 on conviction.

Ramli, who also former Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director and had served as Sabah Police Chief, had pleaded not guilty to the charge on Nov 19, 2007 and was released on RM10,000 bail in one surety.

Ramli is defended by Muhammad Shafee, James Tsai and Dr Lim Hock Leng, while the prosecution is being conducted by deputy public prosecutors Morais and Joyce Blasius.

During cross-examination yesterday, Muhammad Shafee referred to Roslan an ACA report by Sok One stating that he received information that Ramli had abused his power as a senior police officer in directing the villagers of Kampung Tanjung Labuan to vacate their land.

Earlier this week, Sok had testified that Roslan was the person who informed him that Ramli had abused his police power in dealing with resident in his village.

Questioned further by Muhammad Shafee, Roslan told the court that he was not sure and could not remember whether or not he did said that to the ACA officer, saying it has been one-and-a-half years ago.

He said he would be able to remember if he had written a letter instead of having spoken to Sok over the telephone.

When referred to the report made by Sok One based on what he (Roslan) provided, Roslan claimed that only a part of the report was his, namely from the words "directing villagers of Kampung Tanjung Labian, Tungku, Lahad Datu to vacate the land to enable Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd."

He told the court the rest of the words in the report by the ACA officer were not from him or based on what he had said during the telephone conversation with Sok.

"It's not my jurisdiction to say that Datuk Ramli has abused his power to expel the villagers, not within my power to say that," Roslan said.

He also agreed with the counsel that he did not mention Ramli's name in his police report.

To another question, Roslan told the court that he did not know that the Masa Sdn Bhd surveyor was authorised by law and public authority to carry out their duty and that he did not know that it was an offence to obstruct them from performing their duty.

Roslan told the court that he was also aware that a letter relating to the land application was from the Land and Survey Department, Lahad Datu and that the letter instructed the surveyor to carry out surveying work at a particular area in his land.

He, however, disagreed with the counsel that the surveyor was entitled to do the work under the law and that he was doubtful of the legality of the letter from the Land and Survey Department.

When asked whether he checked with the Land and Survey Department regarding the letter, Roslan replied that he did not as he wanted to object to the land application by another party as claimed by the surveyor.

To another question, Roslan said he was sure that his village was included within the two land applications allocated to Kinsajaya as he had seen the map brought by the surveyor.

He said it made him wonder why the survey would be carried out in his village although the survey approval was in Ulu Tungku, adding that his village is not in Ulu Tungku.

Responding to a question, Roslan said he did not know that a survey work would have to go to the nearest spot, which had been surveyed, in order to take reference so that the unknown spot can be surveyed.

When put that the two pieces of land granted to Kinsajaya did not include the Kampung Lok Buani area but the surveyor went into the kampung to get a point of reference, Roslan replied that he did not know.

Roslan also disagreed with the counsel when put to him that what the surveyor must have said to him was that he would do survey from Roslan's village and not in his village.

To another question, Roslan said he did ask the Land and Survey Department in Lahad Datu whether his village fell within the two lands granted to Kinsajaya.

According to Roslan, he had asked one Awang Fauzi at the said department, who told him that Kampung Lok Buani was within the land approved to Ramli.

Trial continues on March 16, this year.