Court accepts Tian Chua’s reason for skipping hearing

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR vice-president Tian Chua did not attend his court case because of a “miscommunication” between him and his lawyers, the High Court was told.

High Court judge Justice Mohd Sofian Abd Razak then set aside an arrest warrant against the 54-year-old Batu MP after he apologised for his non-appearance in court on Tuesday.

Lawyer Eric Paulsen explained to the court that there was a “miscommunication” between his client and the legal team.

Justice Mohd Sofian, in setting aside the warrant, said he was satisfied with the explanation.

Paulsen later told reporters that the mistake was on the legal team’s part.

“We received a letter that said presence was compulsory but the legal team did not inform the client, and our lawyer arrived late on Tuesday,” he said.

Chua was present at the open court proceedings yesterday that lasted about five minutes.

DPP Mohd Zain Ibrahim was also present. On Sept 28 last year, Chua, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang, was sentenced to three months’ jail and fined RM1,800 under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 for uttering seditious words during a forum at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Jalan Maharajalela here on May 13, 2013.

He is appealing against the conviction at the High Court.

The case is set for mention on Jan 18.