KUALA LUMPUR- The private secretary to the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V testified at the High Court that he got down on his knees to plead with the sultan’s brother not to drive a Bentley car out of the palace grounds without the permission of the sultan, who was then the regent.
In his testimony in court yesterday tendered through a witness statement, Datuk Nik Mohd Shafriman Nik Hassan said that Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra did not heed his pleading.
Shafriman was testifying for the defendants in a suit by Tengku Fakhry against the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Assistant Superintendent Noorazman Ismail, former Kelantan police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi and the Royal Malaysian Police for stopping him from leaving Istana Mahkota on July 30, 2009.
On Monday, five witnesses including Tengku Fakhry, testified for the plaintiff.
Yesterday, Shafriman said that although Tengku Fakhry had the keys to the Bentley that day, the steering wheel was locked and the key to that was with the palace driver who was not at the palace that afternoon.
He said that Tengku Fakhry told him that he would seek the regent’s permission to drive out the car, after Shafriman unlocked the steering wheel.
The witness added that after he obtained the key from the palace driver and unlocked the steering wheel, Tengku Fakhry changed his mind about asking his brother.
Instead, Tengku Fakhry told him (the witness) that he would call his brother after leaving the palace.
It was at this juncture that Shafriman knelt next to the Bentley and pleaded with the prince to first seek permission from the regent.
Defence lawyer A.S.Dhaliwal then questioned the witness on the ownership of the car.
Dhaliwal: I put it to you that the car belonged to Sultan Ismail Petra and the Kelantan regent had no authority over the car.
(At that time, the sultan was in Singapore receiving medical treatment).
Shafriman: I don’t agree because this is not a private car. It belongs to the Sultan of Kelantan.
Dhaliwal: Is it not legal for Sultan Ismail Petra to ask his son to take the car to Singapore since he is the legal owner of the car?
Shafriman: The regent was in charge at that time, that means he was responsible over the state and palace property.
Dhaliwal: So if the Sultan (Ismail Petra) had asked his son to take the car to him, was it not a legal request?
Shafriman: I’m not sure.
Dhaliwal: Why are you not sure?
Shafriman: Because I only know how to obey the orders of the regent.
During re-examination by senior federal counsel Azizan Md Arshad, the witness said that a week after the incident, the regent allowed the car to be sent to Singapore in a car carrier.
He was also questioned by Azizan about what he meant when he said the car was owned by the Sultan of Kelantan, to which Shafriman said: “If it was a personal car, customs duty would be paid. But for this car, it is exempt from customs duty.”
Another witness, Inspector Noorazman Ismail, who was then the officer in charge of palace security, told the court that Shafriman had contacted him on the day before the incident to inform him that the regent was not permitting the Bentley to be taken out of the palace.
Noorazman also told the court that his appointment as head of palace security was on an official basis and not a personal appointment.
Azizan closed the defendants’ case after five witnesses testified.
Judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof fixed Oct 17 for submissions.
- New Straits Times
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