In her suit filed on Aug 6, the former Bersih 2.0 chief claimed that her 10-day detention, from Nov 18 to 28, 2016 was not justified under the law.

Maria was arrested on the eve of the Bersih 5.0 rally that year, which called on the then Barisan Nasional government to investigate Najib Razak over some RM2.6 billion that was deposited into his personal bank account.

She said while under detention, the police questioned her on Bersih’s links with 1MDB, her association with Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown as well as to provide details of Bersih’s finances.

She said police did not give any reasons when she was accused of violating the security law.

She added that she was kept in a solitary confinement and denied access to medical treatment.

Meanwhile, in their defence statement, the police and government said Maria’s arrest was based on police reports that urged the authorities to take action against those who threatened peace and stability.

They also said they had explained to Maria the grounds of her arrest.

“The detention was not malicious and not due to political reasons,” they said.

The High Court has set Jan 16, 2019 for the next case mention for Maria and the government to file trial documents.

Maria had filed a habeas corpus application seeking her release from Sosma.

She was released before the habeas corpus hearing.

The Federal Court however upheld the High Court’s 2016 decision to dismiss her habeas corpus application.