KUALA LUMPUR — The Sessions Court here today set nine days, starting Sept 30. for the trial of an Israeli, Avitan Shalom (picture), who was charged with two counts of trafficking six firearms and possessing 200 rounds of ammunition in a hotel room here last March.

Judge Norina Zainol Abidin set the date following an application by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam that the charges against Shalom, 38, be tried together as provided under Section 165(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code as they involve the same accused and similar charges.

She set Sept 30, Oct 1 to 3 and 7 to 11 for the trial and June 28 for further case management.

Also appearing for the prosecution were deputy public prosecutors Shafiq Hasim and Fazeedah Faik.

Lawyer Navinjit Singh, representing Shalom,  did not object to the application. 

Mohamad Mustaffa told the court that the prosecution would call 20 witnesses.

Earlier, Shalom pleaded not guilty to two amended charges.

The first charge was amended to increase the number of bullets from 158 to 200, while the second charge involved amending the serial numbers of the Glock and Stoeger Cougar pistols.

Meanwhile, Navinjit Singh also raised the issue of the accused’s name on the charge sheet and claimed that his client’s name in the French passport used to enter Malaysia was Shalom Avitan and not Avitan Shalom.

As such, he requested the accused’s name in the charge sheet be amended since in Malaysia the given name is mentioned first, followed by the surname.

“Avitan Shalom could be someone else,” said the lawyer.

However, Mohamad Mustaffa said the prosecution did not intend to amend the name at this stage as it only involved a “naming convention”.

Norina said the court noted the defence’s objections and ordered both parties to submit arguments on the matter.

According to the first amended charge, Shalom was charged with possessing a box containing eight Shell Shock NAS3 9mm bullets, three boxes of Bullet Master Co Ltd containing 150 bullets and 42 bullets in three firearms without a permit.

The charge was framed under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960 (Act 206) which provides for a maximum imprisonment of seven years, or a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or both if convicted. 

On the second amended charge, Shalom was charged with trafficking firearms, namely Glock 19 USA 9×19 (Serial Number AEGS286); Sig Sauer P3205P (Serial Number 58C283463); Cougar 8000FT (Serial Number T6429-10G002496); Austrian Glock 17 Gen4 9×19 (Serial Number: BDZZ090); M&P 9C Smith & Wesson Springfield MA USA (Serial Number: DSW9077) and Stoeger Cougar 8000F (Serial Number T6429-08-A029304).

The charge, framed under Section 7(1) of the Firearms (Increased Penalties)  Act 1971 (Act 37), provides a minimum of 30 years imprisonment and a maximum of 40 years and not less than six strokes of the cane if found guilty.

Both the offences were allegedly committed in a hotel room in Jalan Ampang, here between 6.46 pm on March 26 and 6 pm on March 28 this year. — BERNAMA