Home Ministry cooperating with authorities on prison altercation probe

Summary

• The Home Ministry is cooperating with the relevant authorities over an alleged altercation at Taiping Prison which caused an inmate's death.

• Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says the parliamentary special select committee and Suhakam chairperson Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus have reached out to the ministry.

• A hearing was held over the issue last week, Saifuddin shares.

The Home Ministry is cooperating with the relevant authorities over an alleged altercation at Taiping Prison which resulted in an inmate's death.

Its minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail assured that his ministry is addressing concerns related to the incident which occurred last month.

"We will cooperate fully, but due process must be followed to ensure proper procedures are upheld and reflect the Prison Department's commitment to its responsibilities," he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times today.

Saifuddin revealed that the parliamentary special select committee had contacted the ministry.

"A hearing was convened, and the ministry, represented by (security secretary-general) Abdul Halim (Abdul Rahman), attended last week to provide an official response," he said.

On Jan 27, the Prison Department confirmed that an altercation occurred at Taiping Prison involving an individual transferred to the prison from the Batu Gajah Correctional Centre.

However, the department did not provide further details about the nature of the provocation.

The same day, the police confirmed that they had recorded statements from two Taiping Prison officers and 80 inmates over the alleged assault by prison wardens.

This came after Edisi Siasat alleged that a prisoner died after an altercation at Taiping Prison between Jan 16 and 17.

Ministry open to discussions

The minister shared that Suhakam chairperson Hishamudin Yunus had also contacted him.

He said while the Home Ministry is open to discussions, he cautioned that investigations are still ongoing.

"The police have opened an investigation and are recording statements from all relevant parties, including potential suspects and on-duty prison officers.

"This is a comprehensive probe and remains active," he added.

Last week, the Malaysian Bar called for an independent investigation into the alleged altercation.

Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said the case must be referred to the coroner as per Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code as it involves a death in custody.

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