KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan, a staunch critic of Datuk Seri Najib Razak for his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, has been awarded RM300,000 by the high court here today for unlawful detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).
Khairuddin was arrested in 2015 under Sosma for allegedly attempting to sabotage the nation’s economy.
According to FMT, judicial commissioner Quay Chew Soon ruled that Khairuddin had managed to prove his case of unlawful detention by the government but dismissed his claims of malicious prosecution.
Quay also awarded RM50,000 in costs to Khairuddin.
In this suit, Khairuddin had named former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and seven others as defendants over his detention and charges under Sosma.
Khairuddin alleged he was detained by the authorities on September 18, 2015, under Section 124C of the Penal Code and on September 23 of the same year.
After being released, he was rearrested under Sosma again and was kept detained before being charged at the magistrates’ court under Section 124L of the same act on allegations of attempting to sabotage the country’s banking and financial services.
In all, the plaintiff was detained for 62 days at the Sg Buloh prison and on May 12, 2017, the court was told that the prosecution would not be continuing its case, leading to Khairuddin being discharged and acquitted of the charges.
In his previous testimony, Khairuddin said he had lodged five police reports in Paris, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore on the 1MDB issue but denied that it was to expose Malaysia’s weaknesses, claiming he did not trust the country’s police and he was not out to sabotage the nation’s banking and financial services.
Khairuddin, a former Batu Kawan Umno division leader, had previously alleged that his detention was made with malicious intent, violated his right to freedom and tarnished his reputation and image as a politician. – The Vibes, August 24, 2022
