Muslim Hate preacher Abu Hamza's fight against extradition has cost taxpayers £100,000

LONDON
Friday, 19th February 2010

Abu Hamza the hatred Preacher wanted in US

Hate preacher Abu Hamza's fight against extradition has cost taxpayers £100,000 - with more to come, The Sun revealead today.

The hook-handed cleric, 51, is running up the legal aid bill as he battles to beat the boot to the US, where he is wanted on terror charges.

Last night Tory MP Patrick Mercer said: "The public must be fed up with being robbed by this man."

The revelation follows last week's announcement that legal aid chiefs can finally seize Hamza's house in Greenford, West London, to raise £280,000 towards his £300,000 Old Bailey trial bill.

The jailed cleric is in the process of appealing against the extradition to the European Court of Human Rights.

9th Feb 2010 -SUN Newspaper Report

LEGAL aid chiefs have seized jailed hate preacher Abu Hamza's house in a massive victory for taxpayers, it was revealed yesterday.

It is hoped selling the property will raise at least £280,000 to pay back the estimated £300,000 bill for Hamza's defence on legal aid.

Hamza, 51, serving seven years for inciting murder and race hatred, had claimed poverty and said the house in Greenford, West London, belonged to his sister in Egypt.

But the Legal Services Commission launched a bid to win possession when a judge ordered Hamza to fork out for his defence costs. After lawyers proved he does own the property, the High Court granted a seizure order.

Carolyn Regan, chief executive of the LSC, said: "We can confirm the LSC has taken possession of Abu Hamza's property, as a contribution to recovering the legal aid costs spent on his defence.

"The LSC will not tolerate people trying to conceal their financial assets. Legal aid is a vital public resource and we are committed to ensuring it is spent on those who most need help with their legal problems."

The three-year battle was hailed as a triumph by the TaxPayers' Alliance.

Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "It is great news that at long last taxpayers are starting to get some money back from Abu Hamza." Hamza, who was jailed after rants at North London's Finsbury Park Mosque, bought the house for cash while behind bars.

He is currently fighting extradition to the United States on terror charges.

Inquest Into the Death Of Teoh Beng Hock While Under the Custody of MACC

KUALA LUMPUR
Friday, 19th February 2010

Dr Pornthip's findings disputed By Sungai Buloh Hospital Pathology Unit head Dr Shahidan Md Noor

Dr Shahidan Md Noor

Sungai Buloh Hospital Pathology Unit head Dr Shahidan Md Noor, who performed the second post-mortem on Teoh Beng Hock last November, told the inquest into his death that the DAP aide died from a fall, disputing Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand's conclusion that he had been strangled or had his anus penetrated before he fell.

He also said he agrees with the findings of the first post-mortem.

Taking the stand today, Dr Shahidan disputed the testimony of Dr Pornthip, who was brought in last year by the Selangor state government to offer her expertise.

Dr Shahidan said that the bruises on Teoh's neck was a result of his fall and that there was no evidence of asphyxia and this was his conclusion at the second autopsy after Teoh's body was exhumed.

Soon after the government pathologist gave his evidence, lawyer Gobind Singh, acting for the Teoh family, rquested for a postponment of the inquest to study Dr Shahidan's findings.

Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas then granted the request and ordered the inquest to reconvene on March 1.

Earlier, copies of the report had been presented to the parties concerned and the findings of the Nov 22 post-mortem will be made known today.

The autopsy was witnessed by state-appointed pathologist, Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission-appointed Dr Peter Venezis.

Murder suspected

Pornthip, a director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science in Bangkok, which is part of the Thailand's Justice Ministry, had taken the stand late last year where she revealed that the political aide's death was 80% homicide.

Pornthip is also expected to present her findings while Venezis, the famed pathologist involved with investigations into Princess Diana's death, will be presenting his.

Both Pornthip and Venezis are likely to take the stand after Shahidan.

Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas ordered the second autopsy on Nov 9 following Pornthip's startling revelation.

Teoh died on July 16 after being interrogated by MACC officers at its Selangor headquarters in Plaza Masalam here.

While the official version is that the DAP political aide fell to his death, his family have, however, alleged foul play.

Reluctant at first

At the inquest that is being conducted now, Shahidan said he was reluctant to perform the second post-mortem as requested by Tricia Yeoh of the Selangor Menteri Besar's office and Gobind Singh Deo, lawyer for the Teoh family.

The pathologist said he asked the duo to write to the Health Ministry. On Nov 9, he got a call from deputy public prosecutor Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abbas ordering him to perform the post-mortem.

He said Pornthip and Venezis, along with the two pathologists who performed the first post-mortem, were present when the autopsy was carried out.

The post-mortem began at 12.45pm on Nov 22, and finished two hours later.

The post-mortem report, Shahidan said, revealed that there was bruising at the thyroid of the deceased.

There was also a permanent blood clot at the back of tongue near the neck, as well as bleeding on the right side of the brain and on the right side at the back of brain.

The pathologist was decribing his external examination of the body as he answered questions by government-appointed lawyer Tan Hock Chuan.

Shahidan told the inquest that scratch marks were also found on Teoh's left hand.

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Another Dayak Political Crisis in the Making in SPDP

KUCHING
Thursday, 18th February 2010

Rebellion in SPDP!

Since their open dispute with their party president, the five elected representatives from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) seemed to have burnt their bridges with the party and the boss.

The local on-line portal, Malaysian Mirror can reveal today that the group of SPDP legislators, led by its former secretary-general and state Assistant Minister Sylvester Enteri, will be jumping ship. Their next stop – Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) led by state Land Development Minister Dr James Masing.

Others in the group are Tasik Biru state assemblyman and Assistant Minister for Environment Peter Nansian, Batu Danau state rep Paulus Gumbang, Bekenu state assemblywoman Rosey Yunus and Mas Gading MP Dr Tiki Lafe.

Another crisis in the dayak majority party in the making. First and second SNAP crisis in the 80s' and 90s', and the PBDS crisis, Dr James Wong and Datuk Sng were blamed. But the latest crisis in SPDP, no chinese politician was involved. And if we look back at all of the crisis in dayak parties, all of the reasons were about disloyalty to the leader and party. Are we dayak have lack of respect and loyalty to our party and leaders. But  based on Iban folklore stories/legends, such behaviour were not existed in our dictionary. The dayak must change our mindset if we want our voice to be heard and respected by the others, we must stop acting like a child.Please listen to our heart!...Bukittunggal.com

The three SPDP supreme council members aligned to the "Unhappy 5" are George Garai, Peter Gani and Eda Egar.

Last month they walked out from the SPDP supreme council meeting when president William Mawan announced the appointment of Nelson Balang Rining, the state rep for Ba'Kelalan, as secretary-general replacing Enteri.

Fallout with Mawan

Enteri and the other leaders who were also founding fathers of the seven-year old SPDP were deeply disappointed with the president's decision. They charged that Mawan did not honour his promise of maintaining status quo in the party's elections last December.

Although Mawan tried to pacify the group by appointing Enteri as a party vice-president, the olive branch came too late. They had already decided to burn their bridges.

A leader of the group who declined to be identified told the Malaysian Mirror that members of the group met yesterday afternoon. And their final decision was to join PRS. They would be submitting their resignation letters from SPDP to the party any time now.

He believed that more elected representatives from SPDP are expected to cross over to PRS for the "larger interest of Dayak unity."

Lost confidence

He said that the group will be meeting PRS president James Masing soon to submit their applications to join his party.

Asked to confirm the news, Enteri asked this reporter: "How do you know?".

However, he was quick to add that they were very disappointed with the way the party (SPDP) affairs had been handled by the president.

He said that they had lost confidence in the leadership of the party.

Their joining PRS which is expected to enlarge the growing support for the party that has now nine state assemblymen and six MPs is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours to coincide with the visit of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak from Feb 22-23 to Sarawak.

Keeping them within the BN

Political observers see the latest political development in Dayak politics as completing a whole circle – breaking from SNAP in the early 80s into Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak, SPDP and now in PRS.

Contacted by the Malaysian Mirror from Kuala Lumpur, James Masing said he had not met the SPDP dissidents so far nor discussed with them about joining PRS.

"What I know is that they do have some problems within their own party but I don't know how serious it is," he said.

Asked whether he would be happy to accept them into his party, Masing told MM: "Let's put it this way. It's better to keep them within the Barisan Nasional fold than to lose them to the opposition".

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Karpal accuses Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor of being Sodomy II masterminds

KUALA LUMPUR
Thursday, 18th February 2010

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor today of masterminding the sodomy charge being faced by the Opposition Leader.

“As I said, there’s a black hand in this trial, and that is the hand of the present Prime Minister..there are two hands and one is of his wife,” Karpal Singh told the court today.

Anwar echoed Karpal’s accusations by shouting from the dock the words “conspiracy, blatant lies.”

Karpal's accusations was the latest allegation flung by the defence against the PM and his wife, in what appears to be an attempt to link them to an alleged "political conspiracy."

Both Najib and Rosmah has been listed down as witnesses the defence wants to call during the trial.

Karpal (pic) was addressing the court soon after the sodomy trial resumed today after he failed in his bid to disqualify High Court judge Datuk Zabidin Mohd Diah from presiding over the case.

Karpal had wanted to disqualify the judge because of dissatisfaction with the way the court had dealt with Utusan Malaysia’s coverage of the trial.

The veteran lawyer has been unrelenting in his onslaught on the judge by citing what he claimed were examples of the judge’s lack of objectivity with regards to an Utusan Malaysia report on the trial published at the beginning of Saiful Bukhari’s questioning by the prosecution.

Zabidin, in summing up his decision, said he did not see any reason why he should recuse himself from the case.

“If I were to step down from this trial, I would be running away from my responsibility as a judge who has taken an oath of office,” said Zabidin.

Karpal gave notice to the court that Anwar’s defence team would be filing an application for appeal against the decision of the judge not to recuse himself from hearing the trial.

He also urged that the trial go on and the defence team be allowed to cross-examine Saiful, and that there be no more delays.

“Accusations of delay tactics by the defence must be cleared from people’s minds,” said Karpal to the court.

At this point, Solicitor-General 2 Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden replied by stating that neither the prosecution nor the judge had ever accused the defence of utilising delay tactics in the trial.

Karpal then retorted by saying that some media organisations had been doing so.

“We are prepared to carry on. There have been demonstrations, too many things going, like the protest at the Australian Embassy.

“We don’t want a repetition of it and Pemuda Umno cannot be allowed to run wild.”

Yusof, on the other hand, stressed that the trial must continue as the defence and the prosecution owed it to the Malaysian public, not the Australians, to do so.

The judge decided, however, to adjourn the trial until March 25 pending the appeal to the Court of Appeal.

The 62-year-old Anwar is accused of sodomising Saiful at the Desa Damansara Condominium here on June 26, 2008. Anwar has denied the charge, the second time in 12 years he has faced similar charges.

The former deputy prime minister has vehemently denied the accusations hurled by Saiful, describing them as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power” when the charge was read out to him. He is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction. The trial is taking place 18 months after Anwar was charged in August 2008.

Anwar was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences. He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.

He had earlier led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008.

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