Dr. Chee Soon Juan was found guilty for speaking at a rally without a licence and wilful trespass. He was fined $4500. He chose not to pay the fine and will go to jail for 5 weeks. Ghandi Ambalam too was found guilty and fined $3000. Mr. Ghandi will be spending a month in jail for refusing to pay the fine.
The highlight of the case was when the prosecution made an error in their submission to the judge about Dr. Chee's previous fines. They stated that in one of the cases Dr. Chee was fined $4000 but in fact it was $3000. Dr. Chee asked the prosecution to check their records and in fact it was an error. It is possible the prosecution made a ‘typo' error as one member of the SDP whispered during the five minute recess to ascertain the correct figure. Dr. Chee's final statement was, "The error was a demonstration of how the prosecution had conducted the case." The error was a kindergarten mistake of mammoth proportions on the part of the prosecution that gave some joy for the SDP members who were expecting the guilty verdict.
Dr. Chee asked the judge for a copy of the police videotape which was submitted as exhibits for evidence. Deputy Public Prosecutor Bala Reddy replied that there were no such provisions in place. The judge recorded Dr. Chee's request.
After the proceedings, DPP Bala Reddy refused to give comments to a South China Morning Post reporter about the case. Dr. Chee's and Ghandi Ambalam's guilty verdict was expected but the kindergarten error was certainly a surprise.
