Fugitive politician-slash-showboater Jamal Yunos is back in Malaysia, having fled over a month ago to Indonesia in an attempt to evade charges of being a public nuisance.
At 3:15pm this afternoon, a plane touched down at KLIA from Jakarta, where police had nabbed the Sungai Bersar Umno division chief while he was visiting a barbershop. He was met by several Royal Malaysia Police officers and whisked away to face not only his old charges, but new ones that include police evasion at the Ampang Court Complex.
His lawyer, Datuk Imran Tamrin, declared that he was ready to “face the music in terms of legal action,” though he stopped short of explain that his client has little choice in the matter.
Yunos is facing six offenses that are currently being investigated by police, says his lawyer. In addition to this, he’s also facing charges under the Immigration Act for having left the country unlawfully, as well as investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Imran claims that he did not know where his client was hiding until the moment he was caught in a South Jakarta barbershop getting a trim on July 2.
Yunos has never been far from the headlines over the last few years, often to deriding effect. Stunts such as shirtless shower selfies to protest water cuts, launching his own branded resort, a crusade against massage parlors, and his most cringe-worthy histrionics: the smashing beer bottles in front of the Selangor State Assembly to protest an already canceled microbrew festival, all became viral incidents.
While they did little to further his actual political standing, the stunts gained Yunos a great deal of notoriety as a “grassroots” instigator.
Broken glass from the smashed bottles resulted in police issuing public nuisance charges against him, with arresting officers catching up with Yunos at a local KL hospital, where he claimed he was receiving treatment for debilitating back issues.
Before signing his bail paperwork, he absconded quite literally behind the backs of police. He is believed to have traveled by boat to Medan, Indonesia, later making his way to Jakarta. Along the way he posted several videos to his Facebook account, goading authorities.
Refusing to demote him, Umno kept Yunos in their ranks (he is still(!) officially the Sungai Besar Umno chief), and he even went as far as formally entering himself into the party’s race for youth leadership while on the run in Indonesia.
Perhaps Umno has never heard of the old adage: “You’re only as good as the company you keep”?
