Home Ministry to return Christian CDs to Sarawakian

The government has decided against appealing a Court of Appeal decision to uphold a lower court ruling against it.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney-General’s Chambers has advised the Home Ministry to return eight Christian CDs seized in 2008 from a Sarawakian, Jill Ireland, since the latter has decided against appealing a Court of Appeal (CoA) decision upholding a lower court ruling against it.

The CDs were seized by Customs at KLIA2 where Ireland was on transit to Kuching, Sarawak. She arrived from Medan, Indonesia where she purchased the CDs.

Counsel Shamsul Bolhassan of the AG’s Chambers was quoted as saying in the media that he doesn’t know when the Home Ministry will return the CDs. The deadline given by the CoA to return the CDs expired last month.

“We are in the process of returning the CDs,” he assured. “”There’s no issue there.”

Ireland, having won the return of the CDs, will be returning to the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur to get its ruling on two constitutional issues relating to religious freedom and equality before the law.

She wants a declaration that Article 11 of the Federal Constitution protects her from any discrimination under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Customs Act 1967.

Ireland is represented by lawyer Annou Xavier.