Anwar says he personally sympathises with Shuhaily, but stresses law and due process apply to everyone

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Wednesday amid controversy surrounding the police investigation into former Bukit Aman director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain over alleged assault. In Parliament, Anwar expressed personal sympathy for the Malaysian Checkpoints and Borders Agency chief but stressed that the rule of law must apply to everyone, regardless of their rank or track record.

He emphasized that authorities are obligated to investigate complaints against any officer, stating that even a former Inspector-General of Police was imprisoned for assaulting someone in 1998. Anwar reiterated that the government would not interfere in investigative or prosecutorial procedures, emphasizing that only if prosecutors and the Attorney General find sufficient evidence will charges be brought.

Shuhaily, who was charged with two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to two police officers in October 2026, was a former Criminal Investigation Department director. The charges stemmed from an alleged physical altercation at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on September 28, 2026. Anwar rejected attempts to frame the investigation as a political controversy and urged the public not to confuse personal sympathy with legal immunity, emphasizing that established civil service procedures, including reassignment or suspension pending legal proceedings, would apply in such cases.