Detention unnecessary, says Anwar’s pol-sec after being freed
Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador says police could have just taken a statement from him, adding he believes there is a conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim.
KUALA LUMPUR: Perak PKR chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, who was just released by police today, asked if it was necessary to detain him.
“They could have just called me to get my statement. No police report has been lodged against me in the first place, and anyway I don’t look like (economic affairs minister) Azmin Ali so why couldn’t the cops just call me ?
“And I would have given my statement,” he said in front of the Dang Wangi police station.
Farhash, who is also political secretary to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, said, instead, he was detained and “treated like a murderer” by the police.
“They tried to impose the harshest penalty, is this necessary? They tried to remand me for seven days and they wanted to extend for another seven days, but thank God I have good lawyers who managed to argue against it.
“The second time they remanded me, it went to a lower section, so even the courts were confused. So throughout the eight days that I was detained, most of the police officers who I have met, they were also puzzled, they are thinking like, ‘why is Azmin Ali not detained?’”
He believes this is because there is “a conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim”.
He challenged Inspector-General of Police Hamid Bador to detain Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president.
Farhash was released from police custody today, together with former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Aziz and others, a week after being arrested over gay sex videos that had gone viral.
Haziq shocked the nation last month when he uploaded a video claiming he was one of two men filmed engaging in homosexual acts. He named Azmin as the other individual, a claim which the latter has denied.
Farhash and the others were greeted by some 50 people who had gathered outside the Dang Wangi police station here, carrying placards and chanting “Bebas Farhash” (Free Farhash).
Meanwhile, Kenzin Goik, a lawyer representing Haziq, said his client was in good condition, adding: “So far so good. They (police) are being professional. Now he is on bail and the investigation is almost done.
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“It is unlikely that he will be arrested again. Now we will see if he will be charged or not. The police and DPP will decide.”