Lawyers have yet to meet Rayhan Kabir since arrest

Up to the task: Sumita and Selvaraja addressing the media upon arriving at the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya.

PUTRAJAYA: The lawyers for Bangladeshi Md Rayhan Kabir, who appeared in the controversial Al Jazeera documentary, have yet to meet him since his arrest on July 24.

“I was informed that my request has to go through the heads first before permission is given (to see him).

“An email was sent to the director on Sunday. However, I understand that during this period of MCO (movement control order), there are numerous requests.

“Nevertheless, we have a responsibility to inform his parents of their son’s condition, ” said lawyer Selvaraja Chinniah when met outside the Immigration Department headquarters here yesterday.

Selvaraja, together with fellow lawyer Sumita Shaanthinni Kishna, exited the building at around 2.40pm after spending roughly an hour inside.

Both were hired by Md Rayhan’s parents to act as his lawyers.

Sumita said that the Bangladesh High Commission was notified that they had been hired as Md Rayhan’s lawyers.

Selvaraja added that the department had assured him that they would respond to his request “as soon as possible”.

Md Rayhan was arrested by a team of Immigration officers from the Putrajaya office at about 5.45pm in Setapak on Friday.

The Immigration Department had earlier sought the help of the public to track down Md Rayhan.

He is alleged to have made false allegations on Malaysia’s treatment of illegal immigrants in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic when he was interviewed in the Al Jazeera documentary.

The police have also started investigating the international television channel for its airing of the documentary.