Release CCTV footage at bail counters, says lawyer

 

Last Thursday, FMT reported that six men who claimed trial for criminal conspiracy with the intention to cheat would spend the long weekend in jail, with their lawyer claiming the bail counters had closed earlier than usual.

PETALING JAYA: The lawyer representing six men who spent last weekend behind bars for not posting bail last Thursday has called for more specific CCTV footage of the Kuala Lumpur court complex’s bail counters from the day.

Last Thursday, Alvin Tan said the six men, who had claimed trial for criminal conspiracy with the intention to cheat, would spend the four-day holiday weekend in jail as the bail counter had closed earlier than usual.

The office of the Federal Court’s chief registrar yesterday released CCTV footage of what it said was the bail counters on April 20, saying that it clearly showed the counters were still operating up until 4pm, the normal time during Ramadan.

However, Tan called for the CCTV footage at the bail counters itself to be publicly released.

“There are CCTVs at the bail counter, but I am not sure why those are not disclosed,” Tan said in a statement.

“The current CCTV footage (released by the court registrar) only shows people walking around the court complex and using the cash deposit machine.

“I request for the footage of the CCTVs at the counter to be disclosed instead as it will clearly show what happened that day.”

Tan pointed out that the bailors for the six men were seen in the CCTV footage released yesterday.

“Therefore, the initial reason that the bailors for the six were not present until 4pm is not accurate,” he said.

The chief registrar of the Federal Court previously said the six men had been denied bail because their bailors did not show up, and not because the counters were closed early.

A bailor’s presence is required so that the court can authenticate their identity and verbally explain the terms of the bail period and their responsibilities.

Tan has maintained that the court’s staff closed the bail registration counter at 2.53pm despite a notice apparently stating that office hours ran until 4.30pm.

The six men were released on bail on Monday, which was a public holiday, after their bail applications were successfully processed. - FMT