THE Ipoh High Court has deemed the additional evidence submitted by former Perak executive councillor Paul Yong Choo Kiong in his appeal against his conviction for raping his former Indonesian maid as hearsay.
Justice Abdul Wahab Mohamed said it was not safe to accept such evidence unless it met the criteria set under the law.
"The court finds that the evidence fails to satisfy the conditions outlined in Section 32(1) of the Evidence Act 1950," he said.
The judge also noted that there were issues regarding the relevance and credibility of the evidence, affirming that the court had sufficient grounds to uphold its initial decision.
“Thus, the High Court maintains its earlier decision that the defence team could not raise any reasonable doubt, and the punishment should remain.
“However, the High Court will leave it to the wisdom and discretion of the Federal Court judges to make an appropriate decision,” he said.
On Feb 5, the Indonesian maid, alleged to be the rape victim, through a statement read by her lawyer in court, claimed she had fabricated the accusation to return home before her contract ended.
Pathurrahman SH. MH, 58, an advocate based in Kabupaten Sumbawa of Indonesia said he drafted the statement on May 21, last year, a day after the maid approached him.
He told the court that she made the retraction through a statutory declaration affirmed in Indonesia.
The maid revealed that she was bound by a three-year agreement from May 7, 2019, to May 2022 but wanted to terminate it and return home but her employer refused, prompting her to accuse Yong of rape as an excuse to leave. – March 7, 2025
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