KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was charged at the Magistrate's Court here today to two counts of assaulting police personnel at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) last month.
Shuhaily claimed trial after both charges were read before Magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani, FMT reported
He is accused of two counts under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt to Lance Corporal Faiz Saman and Lance Corporal Ekmal Sofwan at KLIA Terminal 1 on Sept 28. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of one year's imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both upon conviction.
Khairatul allowed Shuhaily bail of RM3,000 with two sureties across both charges, and fixed Nov 25 for case management.
Deputy public prosecutors Shahrizat Ismail and Sazali Omar prosecuted, while an eight-member defence team led by counsel Kitson Foong represented the border agency chief.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom before proceedings commenced, Shuhaily thanked supporters present at the court complex as well as those offering encouragement from afar.
“I will let due process take its course. And this will be my last press conference on this case,” he said.
The prosecution follows the viral spread of closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings depicting an aggressive confrontation involving Shuhaily at the airport terminal.
MCBA subsequently authenticated the video, saying the altercation took place while the director-general was conducting an on-site operational inspection at KLIA ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix events in Malaysia.
Shuhaily previously alleged that unnamed parties were orchestrating a campaign to tarnish his reputation and discredit the newly formed border agency, while maintaining that he would cooperate fully with investigators and accept the outcome of the legal process.