Previously, a British tourist Ahmed Hadi, 47, claimed he was stuck in Malaysia because the court continued to hold his passport.
He was arrested for allegedly breaking a plastic barrier at a car park in Penang after struggling to pay the RM7 parking ticket. He claimed the ticket machine wouldn’t accept his card payments and the staff weren’t helpful.
He also claimed a policeman threatened to beat him up when he was in the lockup.
Due to his poor experience in Malaysia, he described the country as inhumane and a “hellhole without human rights.”
Police say they followed the procedure
According to Bernama, Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the police followed the procedures while dealing with the case.
On 8 December, the car park technician lodged a police report after Ahmed Hadi allegedly broke the plastic barrier while attempting to leave the car park.
Hamzah shared that Ahmed Hadi was placed in the Bayan Baru Central lockup and all detainees were closely supervised by personnel on duty.
He added that after arresting the suspect on 9 December, Ahmed Hadi was remanded for four days before being charged at the George Town Magistrate’s Court on 12 December.
Ahmed Hadi was charged under Section 427 of the Penal Code.
The court hearing was postponed to 13 February. However, the complainant withdrew their report after Ahmed Hadi paid them RM1,000 in compensation for the damages.
This led to the case being classified as a Dismissal Not Amounting to Acquittal (DNAA) on 13 February.
Hamzah explained the passport was handed over to the court until the case was resolved, resulting in the passport being returned to Ahmed Hadi on 13 February.
He added that the passport was under the court’s control and didn’t involve the police.
