KOTA KINABALU: A former Bukit Aman Special Branch (SB) officer told the High Court here yesterday that he received instruction to prepare a letter to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) seeking consent to conduct a communication interception on an individual linked to the Lahad Datu intrusion in February last year.
Insp Felix Felicianus, who is now with Sabah Special Branch, said he received the instruction from Bukit Aman SB senior officer SAC Yusoff Mohd Amin on Feb 14 last year.
“Usually, Yusoff would ask his secretary, Siti Khalijah Mohd Yusoff, to prepare the letter, but she was not in the office that morning,” he said when testifying in the trial of 30 accused charged with various offences in connection with the intrusion.
The accused comprise 27 Filipinos and three local residents, some of whom are facing multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group or waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, recruiting members for a terrorist group or willfully harbouring individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group.
They allegedly committed the offences between Feb 12 and April 10 last year.
To a question by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Felicianus said he prepared the letter that stated the target for the communication interception as Datu Agbimuddin Kiram, who was believed to be using two telephone numbers, – 014-2847213 and 017-8900767.
He said he prepared the letter based on a similar letter prepared by Siti Khalijah on Feb 12 last year, but the one he prepared used a new letterhead that had new telephone and facsimile numbers.
Asked by counsel Datuk N. Sivananthan on the change in the telephone and facsimile numbers on the letterhead, he said the letterhead he used was given to him by Yusoff.
He further explained that a new legislation section of the SB was being set up and would use the new letterhead once it (new section) was operational.
Meanwhile, Siti Khalijah said she informed Yusoff that she would be in the office late on Feb 14 last year as she had a personal matter to attend to.
She told the court that she received a telephone call from Yusoff instructing her to come to office on the afternoon of Feb 12 last year, which was Chinese New Year’s Day, to prepare a letter seeking consent from the AGC to intercept calls on an individual.
She said the letter stated the request to intercept calls of Al Wazir Osman alias Abdul, who was believed to be using the telephone number 012-8284091.
Siti Khalijah also said she was instructed to prepare letters of a similar request on Feb 15, 18 and 28 last year.
She said on Feb 15 last year, she prepared a letter requesting consent to conduct communication interception on six individuals, namely Salib Akhmad Emali with the phone number 019-5398122, Anwar Salib (014-8594510), Julham Rashid (017-8664394 and 014-6774273) and Tani Lahaddahi alias Panglima Tani (012-8388304 and 012-8659270).
The other individuals were Abdul Hadi Mawan (011-25259482) and Datu Amir Bahar alias Datu Bahang, who was believed to have used five numbers: 011-25261322, 011-19046155, 019-8729217, 017-8953979 and 012-8104507.
On Feb 18 last year, she was instructed by Yusoff to prepare a similar letter stating one individual Basil Samiul as the target of the communication interception with the number 019-7569906 and 10 days later, she prepared another letter stating two targets – Abd Majil Jubin (012-8066842) and a woman, Norhaida Ibnahi (013-6067588).
The hearing before Justice Stephen Chung at the Sabah Prisons Department continues today. — Bernama