KOTA KINABALU: One of the 11 accused in Sabah's largest drug smuggling syndicate has told the Sessions Court here that he is unable to afford to hire a lawyer to represent him.
Mahathir Jibarail, 49, who is charged with being part of a criminal organisation, said this when asked if he wanted a lawyer to represent him.
"I can't afford a lawyer," Mahathir said in the dock before the charges were read out to him.
The alleged kingpin of the "Gang Upik"group, Datuk Maslan Sani, 41, was also unrepresented when the charges were read out in the same court.
However, he told the court that a lawyer represented him when he was in Kuala Lumpur.
The proceedings went ahead with the charges read to him without a lawyer present.
He told the court that he understood the charges. The other four accused, Insp Rahman Burijin, 44; businessman Nelson Yen Yee Chung, 46; Alkan Abraham, 35; and Maslan Mahmud, 49, had also said that they did not have counsel.
Five other accused, namely Jaysalfian Jaineh@Zaini, 45, was represented by counsel Mohd Amirul Amin; Mohd Fauzie Rablin, 33, was represented by lawyer Sylyester Kuan while Shahlan Shah Abdul Samad, 37, Mohd Faridzul Asmahadi, 31, and Fazrul Bahar, 32, were represented by their lawyers Shahlan Jufri and Mohd Lokman Zabidi.
All 11 were charged under Section 130V (1) of the Penal Code for being members of a criminal organisation between early 2015 and Dec 24, 2023.
They were charged before Sessions Court judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim, who set March 1 for the case to be mentioned before being transferred to the High Court.
No pleas were recorded from any of the accused.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Nazran Mohd Sham, Siti Hajar Mat Radzi and Nur Ainaa Ridzuan represented the prosecution.
