Thursday February 9, 2012

Indonesia confirms Malaysian fugitive arrested in Batam

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have received confirmation that the man arrested in Batam for possession of fake identification documents was indeed Malaysian fugitive Azmin Helmi.

City CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Datuk Ku Chin Wah said they received word from their Indonesian counterparts that Azmin, 37, was being detained there.

He added that the police were expected to get hold of him once the Indonesian authorities complete their investigations.

“We will leave it to them to complete their due process on offences committed in Indonesia and will liaise with them later,” he said in an SMS reply to The Star yesterday.

Azmin is wanted by the City police for allegedly leaking semi-nude pictures of Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong three years ago.

He is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of the Bukit Lanjan assemblyman who disappeared after the photos were circulated on the Internet.

Indonesia's news portal Detik.com had reported that Azmin, 37, was arrested last Friday by Batam Immigration authorities when he tried to renew his passport.

It stated that Azmin was in possession of a fake Indonesian identity card and birth certificate and admitted to being a PKR member.

The news portal reported that Azmin told Batam immigration officers that he had fled Malaysia because his safety was not guaranteed and that he would be used as a political tool if he remained in the country.

Meanwhile, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the state government stood by its earlier statement slamming those who associated Azmin with Wong as being involved in “gutter politics”.

“The matter will be discussed at the PKR political bureau meeting within this week,” he told reporters after chairing the weekly state exco meeting, which was also attended by Wong.

Wong managed to elude journalists who were waiting for her during the meeting at the state secretariat building here.

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