Former Perak executive councillor Paul Yong was denied a fair trial as the presiding judge allowed two witnesses, including the alleged victim, to testify in-camera, the Federal Court was told today.
Lawyer Salim Bashir said neither Yong nor his counsel was present when the judge interviewed the alleged rape victim – an Indonesian maid – and the man who later took her to the police station to lodge a report.
The judge had in 2021 found that there was a need for both witnesses to be protected under Section 20 of the Witness Protection Act 2009 and Section 265A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
Submitting before a three-member apex court bench chaired by Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, Salim said Section 265 of the CPC was unconstitutional as it violated Articles 5 and 8 of the Federal…