Dr Hj Ismail Pg Hj Damit

Bandar Seri Begawan - "For me, it's a big and complex case involving many documents and also a VIP. We have to be careful in handling this case and evaluate existing evidence whether or not it was enough to proceed with the allegations."

This was how the 26th witness, the investigating officer of the case against the former development minister, regarded the case according to his testimony during chief examination by Queen's Counsel Andrew Macrae.

The witness Chief special investigator Hj Meraj bin Hj Ahmad also agreed with the prosecution that the investigating officer himself had to make presentations to lawyers in the country as well as overseas to hire prosecutor(s) for this case.

A few others in the Hong Kong judiciary were involved as well but declined to help as they were working for their own government and the volume of papers and documents to be prepared were numerous and as a result there was a delay for about two years in bringing the case to the courts.

He also stated that he was instructed by his senior to conduct the investigations discreetly in February 1999 and following an open investigation and searching the former minister's office and residence.
Earlier defence counsel Ahmad Basuni asked the witness in respect of the house Lot 30823 which the defendant stated in his statement that he had used $500,000 cash to pay it using cash gifts from Prince Jefri Bolkiah.

The witness also said that he had seized envelopes marked with His Royal Highness Prince Jefri Bolkiah's crest, while others bore the Royal Household Crest, some containing cash money, while others were empty at the defendant's Hong Kong bank safe deposit box with the defendant himself and another officer involved in the investigations.

The receipt of cash seized from the bank safe deposit box from the envelopes totalled just below $2 million.

The witness confirmed the prosecution's questions that he recalled being told by the defendant that these envelopes containing money were gifts from HRH Prince Jefri Bolkiah and also the Royal Household.

In respect of the shophouse at Lot 701 registered under the name of Dk Suzylawati, the defendant's daughter, the reason why the banking facility was only drawn down or released in June or September 1999 was because the defendant's daughter was studying in the United Kingdom.

According to the witness, the Lot 33999 Kg Katok houses were investigated because Wong Tim Kai gave a personal guarantee of $3.3 million for defendant no 1's overdraft facility of $5 million, initial payment amounting to $150,000 by Wong Tim Kai for defendant no l's purchase of Lot 33999, overdraft owed by defendant no 1 which was paid by Wong Tim Kai for the Lot 33999 houses and that eight houses out of the 24 houses developed by Wong Tim Kai at Lot 33999 were given to the defendant.

Saturday will be the closing of the prosecution's case and Monday will be ruling on bail bonds for both PIW Pg Dato Dr Hj Ismail and Wong Tim Kai.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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