Nik Nazmi spends four hours at Jais, now waits to hear if he will be charged

SHAH ALAM, Oct 27 — Bersama co-founder Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad spent more than four hours at the Selangor Islamic Religious Department here today, giving his statement over the khalwat case.

Berita Harian reported that the former minister arrived at its headquarters here about 9.15am in a white shirt, black blazer and face mask, and left at 1.30pm.

“From the investigation side, we have given our cooperation, so we are waiting to see whether charges will be filed or not,” his Syarie lawyer, Muhammad Amirul Ashraf A. Ghani, told reporters outside the building.

That decision, he said, rests with the Selangor Syariah Prosecution Department.

Khalwat is a Syariah offence in which an unmarried Muslim man and woman are found alone together in a secluded place or in close proximity.

Muhammad Amirul Ashraf said his client’s appearance was to complete the investigation under Section 29 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995.

He said statements from Nik Nazmi and the woman linked to the case were taken separately.

Asked whether action could be taken against the person accused of tailing Nik Nazmi and later spreading a video of the episode, the lawyer said the matter would be raised at a later stage.

The department – better known as Jais, the acronym for its Malay name, Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor – confirmed through its director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad that Nik Nazmi was at its headquarters, but he declined to comment further.

Nik Nazmi confirmed on October 17 that he was one of two people detained by Jais in Petaling Jaya two days earlier while with a woman who is not a close relative.

The 44-year-old has since been suspended from all official Bersama activities for three months.