Ex-Umno man remanded 6 days

Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan was picked up by police at his home in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, September 19, 2015.

Former Penang Umno leader Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan has been remanded for six days to facilitate police investigation for allegation of attempts to topple the government.

The remand process took place at Dang Wangi police headquarters more than 12 hours after he was picked up by police at his home in Kuala Lumpur.

Khairuddin was supposed to leave for the United States early yesterday but was stopped from leaving the country by immigration officials at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Khairuddin told The Malaysian Insider that police had directed the Immigration Department to prevent him from leaving Malaysia.

Lead counsel Stanley Augustine confirmed that police managed to obtain the remand of six days under Section 124C of the Penal Code for activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Augustine said that the magistrate stated his reason for allowing six remand days for Khairuddin.

"We had a long argument about that. My client had never bad mouthed about others abroad. He only went out to lodge reports asking the authorities to check on the validity of information," said Augustine.

He added that police gave their reason saying that Khairuddin had passed false documents to authorities abroad.

The remand process started at 11.30am and ended one and a half hour later.

Khairuddin was represented by six lawyers including Matthias Chang, a prominent lawyer who was also barred from leaving the country along with Khairuddin yesterday.

His remand order will expire on Thursday.

"My client has been very cooperative with the police. He has had meetings with the Commercial Crime unit since he lodged a report on 1MDB since December 2014," said Augustine.

Khairuddin in his Facebook posting yesterday said police had summoned him for questioning at its headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday at 11am.

He also said he had spoken with the investigating officer who told him he will be questioned for handing in evidence related to the 1MDB scandal to the Swiss Attorney-General's Chambers.

Khairuddin handed the evidence to the Swiss authority on August 20, and urged it to investigate the debt-laden state investment arm's activities involving Swiss and international banks.

"I have the right to lodge reports in any country in this world, on the condition that it is in accordance with international laws," wrote Khairuddin.

He insisted that he had only acted in the country's best interests, and that he had the locus standi to lodge a report with Swiss authorities.

He had given his assurance to cooperate with the police and added he would appear at Bukit Aman on Monday as requested.

Khairuddin, who was sacked from Umno earlier this year for being a bankrupt, lodged reports with Hong Kong, British, and French police over 1MDB in July and August.

In their response, Malaysian government officials accused Khairuddin of lodging "false and politically motivated police reports" and pushing the same agenda as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has been insistent in his calls for Najib to step down.

- TMI