Ex-Perak exco's rape case to be tried at High Court

PUTRAJAYA: The case of former Perak state executive councillor (exco), Paul Yong Choo Kiong who is facing a charge of raping his Indonesian maid will be heard at the Ipoh High Court.

This was after a three-member panel of the Federal Court chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat yesterday, allowed Yong's appeal for his case to be transferred from the Sessions Court to the High Court.

The trial in the Sessions Court has yet to commence pending the disposal of the transfer appeal.

Justice Tengku Maimun who sat with Federal Court judges Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi Salleh and Datuk Mary Lim Thiam Suan, made the ruling after the panel had read the written submission filed by Yong's counsel, while there was no objection by the prosecution against Yong's appeal.

“This is our unanimous decision as we find no error in this appeal. The appeal is allowed, the order of the Court of Appeal is set aside. The case is be transferred to the High Court,” said Justice Tengku Maimun who then fixed Dec 21 for the case to be mentioned at the High Court.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor K.Mangai informed the panel that she was instructed to take the position not to object against Yong's appeal.

Counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh, representing Yong, said the trial would begin in the High Court as both parties had come to “an agreement in the adversarial system” as raised in the dissenting judgment in a 2-1 majority decision by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal.