THE third prosecution witness in the trial of Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, or Ebit Lew, told the Magistrate’s Court that today was the first time he saw the obscene photos allegedly sent by a woman to the preacher. 

Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM) president Firdaus Wong Wai Hung said he was not sure if the photos belonged to the woman. 

During the re-examination, deputy public prosecutor Zahida Zakaria asked Firdaus if the accuser had informed him that she had sent obscene photos to Ebit Lew when they met for the first time on August 7, 2021. 

“No, (the accuser) never told me about it,and I also did not ask. This is the first time I saw (the materials), and I cannot be sure if they belonged to the (accuser) or other people,” he said. 

During the cross-examination by counsel Ram Singh, Wong said he did not know that the accuser had sent obscene photos to Ebit Lew through a mobile phone.  

The witness also said that he was not sure if the accuser had stated in her report that she had been communicating with the lawyer’s client from March to July 2021. 

Ram: Did you ask her if it is true that she has been communicating with my client since March 2021? Why did she lodge a police report months later, on August 7, 2021? 

Wong: No, I didn’t. 

Ebit, 37, faces 11 charges, including insulting the modesty of a woman in her 40s by sending obscene texts to the victim via the WhatsApp app between March and June last year. 

The charge under section 509 of the penal code provides for a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine, or both, upon conviction. 

The trial continues tomorrow. – Bernama, December 21, 2022.