Earlier suggestion that Musa had left the country illegally allegedly a “tactical manoeuvre”.
- Heavy security, secrecy surrounds ex-CM’s VVIP suite at Subang Jaya hospital
- Cops will let Musa recover from unspecified illness before questioning him and initiating probe
- Police SOP requires Musa to be seen by government doctor
- Musa reportedly ready to settle all outstanding issues
Embattled former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, who has been “wanted” by the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the past three months, did not leave the country through illegal channels.
The New Straits Times (NST) reported it has learnt that contrary to what had been suggested and the accounts of authorities, Musa did not sneak out of the country through Brunei.
His exiting the country was a straight-forward affair despite authorities having suggested otherwise supposedly because his name was blacklisted by the Immigration Department and that “there was no record of him leaving the country”.
If a captioned image of him, supposedly at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport leaving for Kuala Lumpur on May 14 is genuine, it would have been a day of plane-hopping for Musa, according to the NST.
Records showed that Musa subsequently left for Brunei via Subang Airport on a private plane the same day.
He left for London from the country, a highly placed source privy to Musa’s passport reportedly told NST.
Musa, through his counsel, has maintained that he never left the country illegally.
“At the time Musa left the country, he was not yet a ‘wanted’ man,” a member of the team managing his return was quoted as saying at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang on Tuesday.
Musa’s last point of disembarkation was Seletar, Singapore. He arrived from the United Kingdom where he sought medical treatment.
Musa flew in a private jet from Singapore to Subang Airport on the evening of Aug 21.
As to why the authorities suggested that Musa had breached the country’s Immigration law when the May 14 Immigration records showed otherwise, the source was quoted as saying: “It was a tactical manoeuvre”.
The reason behind this is known only to the authorities, but they would not divulge more, the daily reported.
Musa was supposedly spotted once in London – at St Pancras railway station.
Just before news of his return spread, his political secretary, Mohd Joh Wid, shared a photo on Facebook of the Sungai Sibuga assemblyman in a hospital gown and lying on a stretcher.
It came with a caption saying Musa had decided to return against the advice of the doctor at The Clementine Churchill Hospital in London and that he must first be referred to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for follow-up treatments.
Meanwhile, Musa is in a tightly-guarded VIP suite at the Sime Darby Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya.
His visitors, about 20 of them and counting, were tight-lipped and refused to identify themselves.
Among them was renowned lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, who said he was “merely visiting a friend” when asked if he would represent Musa in his cases.
Musa is wanted by the police over a criminal intimidation report lodged by Sabah governor Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin following the swearing-in of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as Chief Minister.
Musa then went missing in May and it was later revealed that he and his family had absconded to London on May 16.
More than 10 reports have been lodged against Musa by Sabahans across the state, urging police to investigate him for treason instead of criminal intimidation.
At the private hospital, individuals believed to be Musa’s aides declined to comment on the state of their boss’ health.
The NST also learnt that the MACC would give way to the police before taking its turn with Musa.
Last night in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Ramli Din was quoted as saying that police would give Musa “time to recover, on humanitarian grounds, before visiting him”.
However, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said Musa needed to go through the police standard operating procedures when undergoing treatment in Kuala Lumpur.
He was quoted by news portals as saying that SOP required Musa to get treatment at a government hospital as confirmation of his medical condition, for the purpose of investigation, should be from a government doctor.
“No one is above the law and I believe the police will carry out their probe properly and complete the investigation paper in the near future.”
“While receiving treatment, Tan Sri Musa will be placed under police supervision. The doctor will also ascertain his level of health based on the fixed SOP,” Azis was quoted as saying by an online news portal here today.
Earlier reports:
21 Aug, Finally, Musa Aman is Back
21 Aug, Musa Aman to Return Home Against Doctor’s Advice