The Kuala Lumpur sessions court has fixed a four-day trial from April 27 next year for two Chinese nationals charged with taking aerial photographs with a drone in a prohibited area under the defence ministry’s (Mindef) jurisdiction.
Judge Izralizam Sanusi set the trial dates following confirmation from deputy public prosecutor Faizah Khalilah Zaberi and defence counsel S Rubanyah representing the accused, Li Luorong, 26, and Chen Junhao, 19.
Earlier, Faizah informed the court that several key documents pertaining to the case had yet to be obtained.
“The documents pertain to the declaration of the ministry’s premises as a prohibited area by the chief government security officer and Malaysian armed forces’ headquarters concerning the security perimeter.
“The prosecution requires approximately two weeks to secure the aforesaid documents,” Bernama reported her as saying in her submission.
The defence did not oppose the matter, and the court subsequently fixed Oct 10 for the next case mention.
Li and Chen are jointly charged with intent to obtain official information for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state, namely taking an aerial photograph using a DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drone within a gazetted prohibited area without authorisation.
The offence is alleged to have been committed at Mindef’s B Field, Jalan Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur, at 11.50am, on Aug 6.
They were charged under Section 3(a) of the Official Secrets Act 1972, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides for 30 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
They were also charged with taking an aerial photograph using the same type of drone for surveying or reconnaissance purposes without authorisation at the same location, date and time.
The offence under Section 4(1) of the Official Secrets Act 1972, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of between one and 14 years, upon conviction.
