Jamal was charged under Section 224 of the Penal Code today for escaping from police custody on May 25 at a private hospital here while in the process of completing his bail for several criminal charges he was facing.
If convicted Jamal will face a maximum of two years’ jail, or fine, or both.
Earlier today, Jamal was brought to the Ampang court complex around 4pm, after he was escorted back from Indonesia where he had been detained while having a haircut in Jakarta on July 2.
He was in high spirits and was smiling widely to reporters and photographers who were taking his pictures.
He claimed trial to the charge before Magistrate Mohamad Firdaus Sadina Ali.
The court did not grant bail to Jamal on the grounds that he might skip bail again. The court set the next mention date for July 30.
Jamal was represented by lawyer Khairul Annuar while deputy public prosecutor Razali Che Ani represented the prosecution.
Khairul had urged the court to allow bail, adding that Jamal had no “intention” to jump bail and it was a miscommunication between him and his lawyers who were handling the earlier bail process.
However, Razali objected to the application, saying Jamal had escaped two months ago and he might run away again if he was out on bail.
It was reported that Jamal escaped from police custody on May 25 after he claimed trial for allegedly causing public nuisance by smashing beer bottles in front of the Selangor state secretariat building last year.
After fleeing, he posted several videos on his social media channel but his legal team was clueless on his whereabouts. In one of the videos shot in a palm oil estate, he claimed that he was being harassed by people who “have ordered the police to target him in any way possible”.
Jamal claims he’s being harassed, asks Muhyiddin to guarantee his safety