Prison Dept Refutes Vip Claims Says All Inmates Treated Equally

---

 


Detainees in prisons across the nation are not afforded “VIP treatment” or “hotel-like facilities”, contrary to claims often asserted by the public, said the Prison Department.
In clarifying the matter, the department’s director-general, Abdul Aziz Abdul Razak, however, said that certain high-profile detainees are typically placed in separate cells.
Emphasising that such arrangements are part of security measures rather than a form of special treatment, Aziz said the matter involves detainees who receive extensive media coverage or those who have “external sentiments”, which could trigger conflicts within the prison.
“Actually, the term ‘VIP’ is merely a public perception. Inside prison, all inmates are treated equally and fairly,” Harian Metro quoted him as saying in a podcast episode.
“Our principle is the duty of care (while) ensuring the safety and welfare of inmates from the moment they enter until their release, but there is indeed a need to separate certain inmates.
ADS“This separation is not special treatment, but a safety measure, and allegations of ‘hotel beds’, ‘air conditioning’ or ‘luxurious food’ are untrue,” he added.
Last year, the Prison Department issued a similar denial after preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin claimed that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is accorded “very special treatment” while serving his sentence in the Kajang prison.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had also denied the allegations, insisting that Najib is monitored just like any other inmate.
Wan Ji, who had served his jail term in the same prison, alleged that instead of prisoner garb, Najib wears “normal” clothes like one would at home. He also asserted that Najib was housed in a “special block” in the prison.
The former religious adviser to the Penang chief minister had made the claims during an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini after he was fully released from prison on March 22, about six months after he started his nine-month jail term for sedition.
He began serving his jail term on Sept 25, 2023, over a 2014 sedition case linked to the Selangor sultan. - Mkini

---