There was commotion in a Kota Kinabalu, Sabah court room yesterday, when a man accused of being an illegal migrant worker attempted to “prove” that he was, in fact, a Malaysian citizen.
Sessions Court judge Azreena Aziz asked the defendant Issam Bakri his plea, to which he responded that he was not guilty. The judge then asked him to offer proof, at which point he produced a piece of paper, that included a self-portrait, and two pencils etched thumb prints.
“Is this really your IC?” the bemused judge asked, while the rest of the court tried to contain their laughter, while the man’s child-like sketch was inspected by the judge and prosecution.
Issam was first picked up by police on April 26, after he failed to produce the necessary documents to show that he was a native Sabahan.
Judge Azreena then asked the defendant three times whether the “MyKad identification” he had provided was in fact, a legitimate document.
After confirming each time that it was valid, the concerned judge then ordered that he be sent to Bukit Padang hospital for psychiatric evaluation, and hopefully, gets the help he needs.
