IPOH: Former state executive council member Paul Yong (pic), who is accused of raping his Indonesian domestic helper, will know his fate on June 29.

       High Court Judge Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamed fixed the date after hearing submissions from both parties at the end of the defence case yesterday.

       Lead counsel Datuk Rajpal Singh, in his submissions, said that it was not for the defence to prove the case, but for the prosecution to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

       He said the biggest issue that the defence was raising is on the prosecution not calling the investigating officer (IO) handling Yong’s case on his political conspiracy allegation.

       “The prosecution did not offer the witness (IO) to the defence as well. The prosecution could have called the IO, she could have explained things, but all that was not done.”

       Rajpal also pointed out the “irony” of the prosecution offering Yong’s wife as a witness despite them saying she was an interested party.

       He said the defence team was of the view that Yong’s wife was a credible witness, citing how she had testified that she would not be supportive of her husband if there had been any truth to the rape allegation.

       The prosecution had the right to impeach her if she had contradicted her previous statement, he said.

       “But the prosecution did not do so. This means that there is a lot of truth in her statement, and her oral evidence as well,” he added.

       State prosecution director Azlina Rashdi in her submissions said that the prosecution had explained in detail that the accused is the sole breadwinner of the family, and his wife and children relied on him.

       “The children are studying in private colleges, and thus the wife relies on the husband for the future of her children and the family.

       “If anything should happen to the accused it will impact the future of the family,” she said.Azlina also said that the victim had already testified as to why she did not inform her mother of the rape, which the defence is questioning.

       “She was embarrassed, scared and did not want her mother to worry. She is all alone here, and not in her home country. Based on forensic evidence, there is no DNA found, but that has been explained as well,” she added.

       She also said that despite the allegation of a political conspiracy, there was no police report lodged.

       On Dec 7, Yong, the Tronoh assemblyman, was ordered to enter his defence for allegedly raping the helper more than two years ago.

       Justice Abdul Wahab had ruled that there was a prima facie case against Yong after taking into consideration all the evidence submitted throughout the trial.

       On Aug 23, 2019, Yong claimed trial at the Ipoh Sessions Court to a charge of raping his then 23-year-old domestic helper. The offence was allegedly committed in a room on the top floor of his house in Meru Desa Park between 8.15pm and 9.15pm on July 7 that year.