KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here allowed the application made by the prosecution to have a joint trial of former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee, Yazid Sufaat and Muhammad Hilmi Hasim who were charged with promoting an ideology to incite the people of Syria.
High Court judge Datuk Azman Husin made the decision today after deputy public prosecutor Shukor Abu Bakar submitted for their case to be tried in the same court.
The decision was made following a Federal Court’s decision for Yazid and Hilmi to face trial over charges of promoting and abetting in terrorists activities in Syria.
Azman then fixed Aug 14 for the charges to be re-read to both the accused.
On Feb 8, last year, Yazid, 50, who was a cafeteria operator at Jalan Duta Court Complex was charged with promoting an ideology intended to incite the people of Syria to commit terrorist acts while his café assistant, Hilmi, 34, and a housewife, Halimah Hussein, 53, were charged with abetting him.
The trio allegedly committed the offences at a house in Taman Bukit Ampang between Aug 1 and Oct 20, 2012.
Yazid was charged under Section 130G(a) of the Penal Code while Hilmi and Halimah were charged under Section 109, both of which carry sentences of up to 30 years jail and fine, if convicted.
On May 20 last year, the High Court here acquitted and discharged the three accused after allowing their application to have the charges against them to be struck out.
However, on June 18, last year, the Court of Appeal ordered the trio to go back to the High Court to face the charges after allowing the prosecution’s appeal to set aside their acquittal on the charges.