Remand extension denied, Tan Sri in Batu Caves land deal probe released

PUTRAJAYA: The Tan Sri implicated in a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe on a Kuala Lumpur land deal related to the Batu Caves Temple has been released from custody.

Magistrate Noraisyah Mohd Yusof rejected the MACC's request for the senior official of the temple's committee to be remanded for another seven days.

The man, who was wheelchair-bound, was allowed to be released under MACC bail, and the court also ordered that he to be brought to a hospital for a check-up.

“The MACC gave plenty of reasons why he should be detained longer, but we argued that there is no need for my client to be under custody for investigations to be conducted.

“My client is ready to give full cooperation to their investigation,” said the man's lawyer, Datuk S. Devanandan.

Magistrate Noraisyah, however, allowed for another two persons who were remanded together with the Tan Sri on Tuesday to be detained for another day.

The two, one of whom is the Tan Sri's son, will be released Friday.

On Monday, MACC investigators raided the official's house in Kota Damansara, where they checked some documents and two luxury cars parked at the residence.

They also searched the committee's office in Batu Caves.

MACC sources said the Tan Sri had been under investigation since last year.

It was reported last year that a Hindu religious association called on the temple committee to come clean over the development of a parcel of land in Jalan Kuching here that belonged to the committee.

The association claimed to have received “complaints and shocking information” related to the land deal.