Anwar sympathises with Shuhaily but says no one is above the law

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said he sympathises with Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) chief Shuhaily Zain but his strong performance and past service do not place him above the law.

Shuhaily was charged last month with two counts of assaulting two policemen at KLIA in September. He claimed trial to both charges.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar rejected suggestions that the charges against Shuhaily were politically motivated, saying the government had no reason to act against an officer whose career it helped revive.

He said neither he nor home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail interfered in the matter, adding that decisions on whether to prosecute rested with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“We brought him back because of his performance. I remember bringing him from Penang to Kuala Lumpur before he was promoted,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

“Personally, I sympathise with him. But when there is an allegation, whether from the public or the police, it must be investigated.”

Anwar was responding to Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau), who questioned the government’s decision to return Shuhaily to the police force, saying he should be allowed to continue heading the border agency.

Shahidan praised Shuhaily’s performance and asked why action was being taken against an officer whom he described as one of the country’s best.

Shuhaily, 54, pleaded not guilty at the Sepang magistrates’ court on Oct 21 to two charges of causing hurt to two policemen at KLIA on Sept 28.

Saifuddin announced on Oct 29 that Shuhaily would be returned to the police force. However, Shuhaily resumed his duties at AKPS yesterday, chairing a meeting with the agency’s senior officers.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail earlier said that Shuhaily’s appointment could only be terminated prematurely with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He also said legal advice was being sought before the officer’s return to the police force could be finalised.

Shuhaily joined the police force in 1998 and began his career in the Special Branch.

He later held several senior intelligence and operational positions, including that of police attaché in Washington DC, before serving as district police chief, Penang police chief and Kuala Lumpur police chief.

He was appointed Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director in August 2023 and seconded to AKPS as its director-general in July 2025.

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