KUALA LUMPUR – A suspect who reportedly escaped from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya recently is not a stocky “Datuk Seri” as claimed by netizens and media outlets, an official said.
The MACC official who declined to be named said news reports and social media postings about what transpired were “deeply inaccurate”.
Firstly, contrary to rumours, the man involved in the incident on Oct 11 is not the main suspect in a case the agency is handling, he said.
The man managed to avoid rearrest by police who were waiting outside the MACC headquarters for him and eight others. The nine of them were being released from MACC remand.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision by the suspect to avoid being rearrested by the cops,” he said.
Shortly after the incident, photos of the suspects began circulating on social media, but it is unclear how netizens linked the suspect who supposedly escaped to a "stocky" individual said to carry a “Datuk Seri” title.
In fact, the suspect who fled did not hold any title, the official said.
Last week, MACC commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki had said that the commission had frozen RM80 million in funds from 730 bank accounts and seized RM5 million in cash from scam syndicates.
The suspect in question is believed to be part of a syndicate that allegedly received protection from rogue policemen.
The MACC also seized 23 luxury vehicles, including brands such as Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and some high-powered motorcycles.
Recounting the incident, the official said the nine suspects had returned from the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya to the MACC headquarters to document their remand.
They were taken to the headquarters in a motorcade comprising four black Toyota Vellfire multipurpose vehicles, also occupied by family members, legal advisors and personal aides, the official said.
He added that upon arriving at the headquarters, a fracas broke out in the main lobby when all nine suspects refused to exit the vehicles after noticing the presence of many police officers.
After some negotiations between MACC officials, police and lawyers, the police agreed to wait for the suspects at the main gate of the compound.
The official said eight suspects were taken into police custody when they left the MACC premises through the gate.
The sole remaining suspect was seen entering one of the vehicles along with a lawyer, bodyguard and driver.
“The suspect had actually gone into a vehicle and was seen heading towards the main gate," the official said.
“However, between the lobby and main gate, he is believed to have exited the car and fled via a side gate close to the rear section of the MACC building with the help of two bodyguards. The bodyguards were ready to help him climb a low fence and evade police arrest."
The official said CCTV footage showed the suspect fleeing in a Perodua Myvi waiting by the road.
Asked if there was potential mishandling of the situation, the official said there was no breach of arrest procedures on the MACC’s part as the suspects were free to leave the headquarters after being processed.
“The arrest that the suspect avoided involved another enforcement agency, not MACC," he said, referring to the police.
“There is no hard and fast rule or particular agreement involving rearrests.” – The Vibes, October 15, 2020
