KUALA LUMPUR – PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had to postpone giving his statement to police last Saturday due to medical treatment at Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu on the same day, said his political secretary.
Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman said that Hadi’s appointment with the police had to be rescheduled because the treatment took three to four hours.
He added that Hadi is in good health, dismissing speculation that the postponement was an attempt to avoid the authorities.
The details had been given to the police and a new appointment was made, he said.
“Tuan Guru has authorised me to clarify this matter. There was a misunderstanding that Tuan Guru was intentionally evading the process due to health issues.
“Our communication with Bukit Aman was transparent, and my statements to the police were consistent,” he said during a press conference at the PAS headquarters here.
“Tuan Guru received the treatment on Saturday morning at Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu, which took approximately three to four hours and left for Kuala Lumpur.
“There was no intention to avoid it. If Tuan Guru had not required hospitalisation, the statement to the police would have been provided as scheduled on Saturday at 4pm.”
Earlier, police recorded Hadi’s statement regarding his alleged questioning of the authority of the Pardons Board during a speech held at the PAS headquarters in Bakri, Muar, last month.
An investigator from the Classified Crime Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department at Bukit Aman conducted the hour-long interview.
The development stems from an investigation initiated on August 28 by Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department director, Datuk Seri Mohd Suhaily Mohd Zain, who revealed that Hadi was being probed under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the investigation papers on the PAS president will be completed within a week before being sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers. – September 4, 2023