Ex-fugitive Jamal freed on RM20,000 bail

SHAH ALAM: After spending nearly a month at the Sungai Buloh prison, Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos (pic) has been released on bail by a High Court here.

The Sungai Besar Umno division chief was freed on a RM20,000 bail involving three different bailors after the High Court reviewed a magistrate's court decision which rejected bail for Jamal, 47, on two charges of trespassing.

Justice Yazid Mustafa allowed the application by the former fugitive – who fled from the country before being apprehended by Indonesian police – to review the lower court's decision. He was represented by senior lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

The judge, after considering the facts and situation of the case against Jamal for the charge of escaping from a hospital, allowed him a bail of RM10,000 to be paid by a bailor.

The court agreed with Shafee's argument that the magistrate had no jurisdiction to cancel the earlier bail set for Jamal on the two trespassing charges despite the lower court's grounds that Jamal's explanation on the matter were unsatisfactory.

"Based on this, I allow bail of RM5,000 for each (tresspassing) case with two different bailors," the judge said.

Jamal was also represented by Datuk Mohd Imran Tamrin while DPPs Mohd Fairus Johari and Fatin Hadni Khairuddin prosecuted.

The bail was paid and Jamal was released.

On Monday (July 30), the Ampang magistrate's court revoked the bail orders against Jamal on charges of trespassing.

On July 5, the controversial politician pleaded not guilty on charges of escaping from police custody at the Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital's premium ward, where he was undergoing treatment for back pain.