Survivors of alleged Bali gangland hit refuse to give evidence against accused Aussies
Survivors of a Bali gangland shooting have refused to testify against three Australians accused of murder, citing ongoing intimidation.
The survivors of a gangland-style hit in Bali have confirmed they will not give evidence at the trial of three Aussies accused of the murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic.
Radmanovic’s mate and shooting victim Sanar Ghanim, 34, Radmanovic’s wife Jazmyn Gourdeas, 30, and her sister, Daniella, have been asked repeatedly by Indonesian prosecutors to give evidence about the terrifying midnight raid on June 14.
But the Denpasar District Court will continue to push for the trio to give evidence even though they are adamant their safety is at risk, even if they testify online.
“We have summoned the victim (Sanar) and (Radmanovic’s) wife, but there is no confirmation to come to court,” the Indonesian prosecutor said.
“Their lawyers have said that they could not attend the court and could not also give testimony online because (of) intimidation …”
The court heard a police report had been filed in Australia about the “terror” following a recent incident.
The Gourdeas sisters have both been victims of sinister attacks since the ambush, most recently men seen on CCTV stalking Jazmyn’s home.
In July, a man was also captured on CCTV firebombing Daniella Gourdeas’ beauty clinic in South Yarra.
Meanwhile, underworld figure Ghanim has been globetrotting ever since surviving being shot up to six times in the villa he leased in Munggu.
Ghanim has also cited safety concerns about giving evidence in court.
All three victims, however, have made returns to Bali including in the past month.
Accused gunmen Paea I Middlemore Tupou, 26, and his co-accused Mevlut Coskun, 22, have been charged with murder, premeditated murder and firearms offences.
They are standing trial together.
Another co-accused, Sydney plumber Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, is standing trial separately over his alleged role in aiding the accused gunmen.
All three men are facing the prospect of more than a decade inside Bali’s infamous Kerobokan jail, while Mr Tupou and Mr Coskun could face the death sentence if they’re found guilty.
Mr Tupou’s family were in court on Monday for the first time to support him.
They did not want to speak to the media.
Four witnesses gave evidence during the short hearing on Monday, but none of them could identify the suspects.
As reported by this masthead last week, Ghanim has been spending time in Bali and visiting his villa.
Witness Kadek Rai Sri Mulyani said he had spoken to Ghanim in the past fortnight before he was set to fly to Europe.
“I also saw him with Daniella and also with Jazmyn,” she said.
“Two weeks ago I met (sic) him. I don’t know whether he is still in Bali now or not.”
She said Ghanim was looking “’good” but walked with a limp.
Radmanovic died from multiple rounds fired into him, including a shot to the chest, while Ghanim fought his way free of the gunmen and was shot up to six times during the violence.
Prosecutors are yet to indicate whether they will seek the death penalty over the gangland style shooting which is believed to have been sparked by an underworld dispute in Melbourne.
Underworld sources say Ghanim has been a marked man since becoming embroiled in a dispute over stolen cocaine.
An Australian national, communicating to Mr Jenson over encrypted app Threema, is yet to be identified.
Mr Jenson organised accommodation, rental vehicles and bought equipment before travelling with Mr Coskun and Mr Tupou to Jakarta’s airport where his passport was confiscated.
The Australian Federal Police are referring all inquiries relating to the Bali incident to their Indonesian counterparts.
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Originally published as Survivors of alleged Bali gangland hit refuse to give evidence against accused Aussies
