PETALING JAYA: 1MDB critic Khairuddin Abu Hassan, an election candidate in Jasin, has filed a suit against the government seeking damages for being unlawfully detained three years ago after lodging reports overseas about funds missing from 1MDB.
Khairuddin, a former Umno divisional leader, filed the writ of summons today. He alleges he was maliciously prosecuted and seeks RM8.83 million in damages.
The suit is against seven people including the former inspector-general of police, Khalid Abu Bakar, and the Attorney-General, Mohamed Apandi Ali, as well as the Malaysian Government.
In 2015, police detained Khairuddin and his lawyer Matthias Chang for two months in 2015 under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, a law dealing with terrorist activities.
Khairuddin alleges that his detention was carried out in bad faith, as investigators and prosecutors of several countries had later declared that investigations were being carried out into money laundering and corruption involving funds related to 1MDB.
Khairuddin was held under Sosma from Sept 18, 2015 up to Nov 11, 2015. While under detention, both men were charged with sabotaging the nation’s banking and financial services.
However the Sessions Court acquitted both men in May last year before the trial even started. The government has appealed against the acquittal, as it had sought a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
Khairuddin alleges malicious prosecution because the charge was framed without reasonable and probable cause.
In his statement of claim today, Khairuddin related the events that led to the suit.
He said he had lodged a police report about 1MDB in early December 2014, after reading extensive local and foreign media coverage about the controversy.
The government formed a special task force comprising the Attorney-General, the police, Bank Negara, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate, but he was not called to make a statement.
As the 1MDB scandal also involved dealings in foreign countries, he and Chang went to lodge reports at the office of the police Economic and Finance Criminal Division in Paris; Charing Cross police station in London; the Attorney-General’s Office in Berne, Switzerland; Wan Chai police station in Hong Kong; and Cantonment police headquarters in Singapore.
On Sept 18, 2015, he and Chang were told they were barred from leaving Malaysia but no reason was given, the statement said.
Police arrested him the same day for investigation under Sosma, and held him without bail.
Khairuddin accused Attorney-General Apandi, who is the public prosecutor, of having abused the law against him by conspiring with Prime Minister Najib Razak over the 1MDB issue.