TAIPING: Five Taiping Prison wardens were charged in two separate magistrates’ courts here this morning with voluntarily causing injuries to three inmates in January 2025.
Mohd Hairie Jumri, 40, Saiful Azman Mohamad Ibrahim, 44, Ahmad Rizal Razali, 37, Muhamad Mustakhim Abdul Rahim, 40, and Nor Hafiz Izwan Muhammad Jajam, 31, claimed trial to the charges.
In one court, Hairie and Saiful Azman were jointly charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt using a weapon, with common intention.
The duo were accused of voluntarily causing hurt to inmate P. Jason Immanuel, 25, using a baton at Hall B of the prison between 3pm and 4pm on Jan 17, 2025.
If convicted, they face up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine, whipping, or any two of the punishments.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Rizal was charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt to another inmate, V. Naveen Kumar, 32, outside Hall B of the prison between 3pm and 4.15pm on the same date.
The offence carries a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction.
Hairie, Saiful Azman and Ahmad Rizal were represented by counsel Aqmarul Aqil Ismail, while deputy public prosecutor Farihah Adilah Fazial appeared for the prosecution.
Farihah requested bail of RM10,000 and also urged the court to impose an additional condition requiring the accused to stay away from the victims.
Aqmarul pleaded for lower bail, stating that Hairie, a prison inspector, is married with four schoolgoing children, lives at the prison quarters and earns RM4,000 a month.
He said Saiful Azman was also married with four schoolgoing children, while Ahmad Rizal, who is married with three children, is suffering from major depressive disorder and is still receiving treatment at a hospital.
Magistrate R. Prabakaran set bail at RM4,000 each with two sureties for Hairie and Saiful Azman, while Ahmad Rizal was granted bail of RM3,000 with two sureties.
Prabakaran also ordered Hairie and Saiful Azman to report to the nearest police station monthly until the conclusion of the case.
He set Sept 7 for mention.
In the other magistrates’ court, Mustakhim and Nor Hafiz were jointly charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt.
Both accused claimed trial to causing injury to inmate G. Yugarajan, 30, outside Hall B of the prison between 3pm and 4pm on Jan 17, 2025.
The offence is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a maximum fine of RM2,000, or both.
Mustakhim’s lawyer, Amirul Fairuzzeen Jamaluddin, said his client had a wife, three children and an elderly father to support.
Aqmarul, who represented Nor Hafiz, said his client had two children and earned RM2,900 a month.
Magistrate Ahmad Hamdi Mustafar set bail at RM2,000 each with one surety and fixed Sept 8 for mention.
All five accused posted bail.
Lawyer T. Shashi Devan, who represents the families of 99 detainees, including 62-year-old Gan Chin Eng, yesterday questioned why only five prison wardens were to face charges over the assaults on inmates at the nation’s oldest prison that left one man dead and several others injured in January 2025.
Gan died from abdominal injuries caused by blunt trauma following the episode. Twentytwo13 was the first to report on the prison incident that resulted in Gan’s death.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) conducted a public inquiry into the incident over three months in 2025, hearing testimony from 50 witnesses and reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing wardens assaulting inmates.
In its findings, the commission, among others, recommended legal action against prison officers involved in violence against detainees, citing CCTV footage and witness testimony as direct evidence of criminal conduct that resulted in injuries and death.
On Dec 19, prison warden Ryndee O’Nel Victor was charged before the Taiping Magistrates’ Court under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Upon conviction, the offence is punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine, or both.
