KHAIRUDDIN Abu Hassan, former Umno leader and 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) critic, was awarded RM300,000 in damages for his unlawful detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) in 2015.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Quay Chew Soon made the ruling today during online proceedings, finding the ally of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to have successfully proven his unlawful detention claim against the government.

However, Quay dismissed Khairuddin’s claim against the government for malicious prosecution.

The court also ordered the government to pay RM50,000 in costs.

Khairuddin, former Batu Kawan Umno division chief, was the one who triggered the string of revelations of the 1MDB scandal, which led to the downfall of the Barisan Nasional government in the 2018 general election.

In May 2018, Khairuddin filed the suit against police officers Wan Aeidil Wan Abdullah and C. Muniandy (both investigating officers at the Bukit Aman Classified Crime Investigation Unit), Dang Wangi police headquarters deputy chief Habibi Majinji, and then inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar, who were named first to fourth defendants.

Named fifth to eighth defendants were deputy public prosecutor Masri Mohd Daud, senior federal counsel Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud, Mohamed Apandi and the Malaysian government.

Khairuddin alleged he was detained by the authorities on September 18, 2015, under Section 124C of the Penal Code and on September 23 the same year, after being released, he was rearrested under Sosma and was under detention before being charged at the magistrate’s 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 60 days in Sungai Buloh Prison and on May 12, 2017, the court was told that the prosecution would not be continuing prosecution and Khairuddin was discharged and acquitted of the charges. – August 24, 2022.