Zulfarhan’s murder trial: Students warned against testifying in favour of accused, court told

KUALA LUMPUR,  Sept 27 — A witness told the High Court here today that he and several other Universiti Pertahanan Malaysia (UPNM) students had been warned by the university’s top management to not testify in favour of the accused in the murder trial of cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain.

Ahmad Senabil Mohamad, 22,  a third year Human Resource Management student, said this when cross-examined by lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, representing the first accused in the murder trial, which is in its 15thday today.

Amer Hamzah: You and other students were warned not to testify in favour of the accused?

Ahmad Senabil:  Agree

The 24th prosecution witness also told the court that he and a few of his university friends were called up by a top management officer after one of their friends, Muhammad Izzul Akhtar Rosli, 22, testified in court as the 17th prosecution witness.

He agreed with Amer Hamzah that they were called up by the officer concerned because he (officer) was not happy with the  testimony given by Muhammad Izzul Akhtar.

Ahmad Senabil also said that before the case came up in court, he and several UPNM students were called up by a military police investigating officer to give their statements on the incident.

“It was conducted simultaneously in a room at UPNM,” he said, adding that they were then asked to sign a document prepared by the officer concerned.

Six UPNM students, Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi, Muhammad Azamuddin, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali have pleaded not guilty to the murder and abetment in the murder of Zulfarhan Osman at room 04-10, Jebat hostel block of UPNM between 4.45am and 5.45am, on May 22, 2017.

The charges against them, all aged 22, were made under Section 302 and 109 of the Penal Code which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

They, together with 13 other students, were also charged with voluntarily causing hurt to the victim to make him confess to the laptop theft, under Section 330 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum jail term of seven years and fine, if convicted.

The hearing before judge Datuk Azman Abdullah continues on October 25. ― Bernama