KUALA LUMPUR: Missing Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos has reportedly contacted his lawyers and pledged to give his full cooperation to police over his pending criminal cases.
He also sent a voice note to the news media explaining that he left the Ampang Specialist Hospital on Friday after being discharged in order to withdraw money to post bail, and that he had left in a hurry to beat his bank’s closing time.
“I left the hospital (at 3.15pm on Friday) to go to Tabung Haji to withdraw money for the bail process. I (rushed because I) was worried that I would (not make it there in time).
“After I completed withdrawing the money, I received calls saying that I was being hunted by the police, as I had escaped from their custody,” he said in the note.
Jamal said that he will give his full cooperation to police “once he has recovered” from his back injury, for which he was warded.
“This happened due to a miscommunication, as I thought the (bail) process was completed. I did not sign several documents that I read – that’s what happened. It is not that I escaped from the police,” he added.
Jamal’s lawyer, Datuk Mohd Imran Tamrin, said that his client is “still in the process of recovering (and) will go to court to complete the bail process… once he is healthy.”
“We (his team of lawyers) believe that there was a miscommunication, and that Jamal’s case and the situation has been exploited.
“He did not run away – he has been following the case from time to time, and is ready to give assistance,” he said in a statement issued today.
Imran added that they have informed the police of the matter.
Jamal went missing from hospital on Friday while under a three-day police remand.
He had been arrested for allegedly appearing in photos, widely shared on social media, displaying a firearm in a threatening manner.
He had earlier been charged with causing a public nuisance on Oct 5, 2016 when he led a protest at the Selangor State Secretariat building’s front gate where he smashed crates of beer with a sledgehammer.
His absence was noticed at 5.30pm when the Shah Alam deputy court registrar arrived at the hospital.