Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said told FMT that she had directed the legal affairs division under her ministry to investigate the claim.

“The right to bail is a fundamental and constitutional human right that the government respects without question. Any act, including administrative issues, that interfere with this right is viewed as flouting this cardinal principle.

“If the claims made by the accused’s lawyer are true, this certainly needs to be reviewed and corrected to ensure administrative errors such as this do not repeat,” she said.

On Thursday, it was reported that six men would be spending the long weekend in prison, as the counter that processes bail had closed earlier than usual.

They were among the 10 who claimed trial for criminal conspiracy with the intention to cheat. The four others managed to post bail in time.

Their lawyer, Alvin Tan, claimed that the bail counter had closed at 2.53pm, shortly after the magistrate had granted bail of RM4,000 each. A notice at the bail counter states that its operating hours are until 4.30pm.

Yesterday, former deputy law minister Hanipa Maidin said denying the men from posting bail went against the Federal Constitution, which protects the right to liberty and life.

He added that it could also open up the government to civil suits, including the tort of misfeasance in public office.