Woman kept in police custody for 42 days finally released on police bail

PETALING JAYA: Rosemary Ginam, 38, who was kept in police custody for 42 days without trial, has been released on police bail.

Her lawyer Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal said that Rosemary was reunited with her family Tuesday (Aug 28), despite being under a remand order until Wednesday (Aug 29).

"She is out. Her family members are very excited and relieved," he said when contacted.

Rosemary was handcuffed in her Kajang home in front of her children by policemen on July 17.

She was arrested in connection with a cheating case involving a travel company that allegedly duped consumers by inducing them to buy fake packages at a cheap price.

The family believes that Rosemary, who worked at the company, is a scapegoat.

Her husband, Hasan Jambai, 40, a spare parts salesman, has had to take time off from work to take care of their three children, aged 17, 14 and nine.

Since her arrest, Rosemary has been taken to police stations all over the country without being charged and with no end in sight.

So far, Rosemary has been taken to police stations in Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Penang, Melaka, Terengganu and Negri Sembilan. 

Hasan lodged a report on Monday (Aug 27) with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) over the detention of his wife. 

Keeping someone in custody for 42 days without trial is excessive and an abuse of power by the police, says human rights group Fortify Rights legal director Eric Paulsen.

"She is not a flight risk as she is a Malaysian, married, and a mother of three children. The police can easily ask her to come in to cooperate with their investigation whenever necessary.

"One prime example is our former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also under criminal investigation, but is allowed to come in to help investigations instead of being detained indefinitely," he said when contacted.

He urged the police to exercise good judgement and discretion when investigating cases.

"The magistrate, who grant the remand orders, should also play a role and not just rubber-stamp everything without knowing the full context," he said. 

Fortify Rights is a non-profit human rights organisation based in South-East Asia, that works to prevent and remedy human rights violations. 

It investigates and documents abuses, provides customised technical support to human rights defenders, and presses for solutions.