The Video Recording: 'The Karang Guni Man Help Me to Move'
At the State Court trial, the public prosecutors submitted as evidence a CD-Rom with a short video clip recorded by Ms. Heather Lim (wife of Karl Liew). According to Heather, this video clip (Exhibit P28) was recorded by her on 29 of December 2016.
Police officer Tang Ru Long (Prosecution Witness 1) testified on Day 1 of the State Court trial that he received this video and accompanying images from Karl Liew on either the 17 or 18 April 2018.
However, at the start of Day 1 of the State Court trial, Defence counsel, Anil Balchandani, pointed out that he had not received a copy of the CD-Rom and had not had a chance to view its contents or understand what was in it. As the video was played during the cross-examination of witnesses, Balchandani raised objections again, on Day 4, that the prosecutors had the video footage "for a good number of weeks before the trial", and had "only provided that to us on the 1st day".
During the trial, the video was played several times: during the examination of Karl Liew, of Heather Lim, and Mrs Liew. Karl testified that this video was taken by Heather halfway or three-quarters of the way of their opening the three jumbo boxes. Heather also testified in Court that she was the one who took this video. Karl identified the three persons whose voices could be heard in the video as his mother (Mrs Liew), his wife (Heather), and himself.
Below is a transcription of the 21-second long video, including the translation of Mandarin words into English. This was done by a court-accredited translator/transcriber, with this transcription submitted by Defence to Justice Chan Seng Onn on Day 3 of the High Court appeal.
Police officer Tang Ru Long (Prosecution Witness 1) testified on Day 1 of the State Court trial that he received this video and accompanying images from Karl Liew on either the 17 or 18 April 2018.
However, at the start of Day 1 of the State Court trial, Defence counsel, Anil Balchandani, pointed out that he had not received a copy of the CD-Rom and had not had a chance to view its contents or understand what was in it. As the video was played during the cross-examination of witnesses, Balchandani raised objections again, on Day 4, that the prosecutors had the video footage "for a good number of weeks before the trial", and had "only provided that to us on the 1st day".
During the trial, the video was played several times: during the examination of Karl Liew, of Heather Lim, and Mrs Liew. Karl testified that this video was taken by Heather halfway or three-quarters of the way of their opening the three jumbo boxes. Heather also testified in Court that she was the one who took this video. Karl identified the three persons whose voices could be heard in the video as his mother (Mrs Liew), his wife (Heather), and himself.
Below is a transcription of the 21-second long video, including the translation of Mandarin words into English. This was done by a court-accredited translator/transcriber, with this transcription submitted by Defence to Justice Chan Seng Onn on Day 3 of the High Court appeal.
Transcript of the Video
Mrs Liew: The karang guni man help me to move...
Karl Liew: Ma, you cannot get the karang guni man here. It’s still her things, Mum.
Mrs Liew: Huh, cannot?
Heather Lim: 还是她的东西。
These are still her things.
Mrs Liew: 她的东西不可以啦?
Her things cannot, lah?
Karl Liew: 她还有jewellery咧。
She still has jewellery, leh.
Mrs Liew: 哈?是假的啦!那些。
Huh? Those are fake lah! Those.
Karl Liew: 金的。
Gold.
Heather Lim: 有些是真的。
Some are real.
Karl Liew: 有些是真的。
Some are real.
Mrs Liew: 不可能,真的她要自己拿的。
Impossible. She will want to take the real ones herself. Cannot...
Karl Liew: 那她, 她等下。。。
Then she, later she...
Karl Liew: Ma, you cannot get the karang guni man here. It’s still her things, Mum.
Mrs Liew: Huh, cannot?
Heather Lim: 还是她的东西。
These are still her things.
Mrs Liew: 她的东西不可以啦?
Her things cannot, lah?
Karl Liew: 她还有jewellery咧。
She still has jewellery, leh.
Mrs Liew: 哈?是假的啦!那些。
Huh? Those are fake lah! Those.
Karl Liew: 金的。
Gold.
Heather Lim: 有些是真的。
Some are real.
Karl Liew: 有些是真的。
Some are real.
Mrs Liew: 不可能,真的她要自己拿的。
Impossible. She will want to take the real ones herself. Cannot...
Karl Liew: 那她, 她等下。。。
Then she, later she...
- End of transcript -
In Defence’s closing submissions, Defence noted that Mrs Liew’s call to get a rag-and-bone man (“karang guni man”) to get rid of the boxes’ items, and Karl’s refuting of this (“it’s still her things”), contradicts what Karl said in court, that they were "emotional" and shocked at the discovery of alleged stolen items. In fact, the conversation clearly shows that upon opening the three jumbo boxes, the items were identified by them as belonging to Parti Liyani, and were also deemed “worthless”, with Mrs Liew expressing the desire to discard with them swiftly.
In paragraph 127 of Justice Chan Seng Onn's High Court judgement, he had written:
In paragraph 127 of Justice Chan Seng Onn's High Court judgement, he had written: