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SINGAPORE: Former restaurant manager Zam Zam was released on bail on Tuesday (November 3) after being detained for a week on new charges of reckless act and criminal intimidation against an employee of rival restaurant Victory.
This was under strict conditions so that he would not go within a 1 km radius of the Zam Zam restaurant or the Victory restaurant next door.
Zackeer Abbass Khan, 50, had been charged on October 27 with committing a reckless act by swerving his car onto Amir Norman Halim at 719 North Bridge Road before braking, forcing Amir to step back.
He is also accused of criminally intimidating Amir, his former employee who switched to join the rival neighbor, Victory restaurant.
READ: Former restaurant manager Zam Zam received new charges for crimes allegedly committed while on bail
He allegedly said, “Why are you fighting Habeeb? If you fight again, I prick your eye. If you love your family, you work well. If you don’t see I’ll kill you. I’m not afraid if I kill you. Because I’m already in. If you fight again, in 2 days, you see that I kill you ”.
These two new charges were brought while Khan was out on bail of S $ 75,000 pending his appeal after he was sentenced for hiring a hitman to kill a rival of the Victory restaurant.
He had been sentenced in May to six years in prison and six strokes of the cane, after challenging the charges in court.
He was found guilty of criminal intimidation and conspiring with several others to have the Victory restaurant supervisor, Liakath Ali Mohamed Ibrahim, cut and leave scars.
READ: The owner of Zam Zam is imprisoned, punished for hiring a hitman to cut off a rival of the Victory Murtabak restaurant
District Judge Terence Tay granted the request for bail after considering extensive arguments from Khan’s two attorneys and the prosecutor, who opposed the bail.
Judge Tay initially said that there would be a danger to the people around him if Khan does not take the bail conditions seriously, as the two restaurants are next to each other.
Defense attorney Lolita Andrew told the court that her client had been out on bail for five years prior to the new alleged crimes and had never violated any of the conditions of his bail.
She said Khan was a single father with sole custody of his five children and is a family-centered person. He is also a businessman with up to 80 workers under him and needs to delegate responsibilities to staff during “these difficult times of the pandemic,” he added.
Zhan also has a medical condition and claimed that he collapsed while being investigated by the police. This was after he had a heart operation.
Ms Andrew added that “it is trite for a person to be innocent until proven guilty” and liberty should not be deprived apart from the considerations of the law.
She argued that Khan was going to pick up one of her sons, who works at Zam Zam, on the day of the new alleged crime. He had all of his children in the car when Mr Amir “hit the roadside”, forcing Khan to brake.
Khan allegedly asked Mr. Amir why he caused a certain level of danger to his family, but this was “interpreted differently”.
Second attorney Richard Lim said Khan denies the charges and will seek trial. He said Khan’s appeal in High Court for the crimes he has already been convicted of is in just six days, and urged the judge to allow him bail to communicate with his lawyers on that matter.
Judge Tay said he would grant Khan bail of S $ 30,000 pending the appeal, a higher sum than usual for such crimes and under very strict conditions.
Khan is unable to communicate with the victim, the prosecution witnesses, any employee or shareholder of the Victory restaurant.
It must be electronically tagged and cannot be within 1km of Zam Zam or Victory Restaurant.
