KOTA KINABALU, Oct 20 ― Arrested Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is currently in hospital for medical observation for high blood pressure.

The Semporna MP, who turns 60 today, had gone to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here yesterday for his statement to be recorded in an investigation concerning an alleged RM1.5 billion embezzlement case involving a federal ministry he had formerly led and was arrested three-and-a-half hours into the questioning.

“He was brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 in KK last night at about 10pm,” Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking said today.

Leiking said the MACC allowed Shafie’s lawyer Loretto Padua Jr to see him.

“He’s still at the hospital now. He will be brought to court for remand at 2.30pm,” said Leiking.

The MACC had reportedly wanted to detain Shafie at the Kepayan state police headquarters lock-up last night instead of its lock-up.

Leiking said that the police lock-up is for common criminals and to detain a distinguished MP who has not committed a crime there is simply absurd.

Shafie had arrived at the MACC office at the state federal administrative complex here at 5.20pm yesterday to give his statement after arriving from Kuala Lumpur at 3.45pm. He had stopped over at his house in Taman Golf View briefly before proceeding to MACC.

Shafie, a former Umno vice-president has been speculated to be a key figure in investigations into embezzlement from RM1.5 billion worth of projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry from 2009 to 2015 when he was its minister.

He was removed from the federal Cabinet and suspended from Umno in 2015 after questioning the prime minister’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad. He later resigned from Umno and founded Warisan.

In the current ongoing graft investigations, Shafie’s younger brothers, Lahad Datu assemblyman from Umno Datuk Yusof Apdal, 57 and Hamid Apdal, 52 as well as several Warisan leaders have already been hauled up and are under MACC bail.

The investigations was said to be focused on some 70 infrastructure projects in rural Sabah.

MACC has so far arrested ten others to facilitate their investigations.

The other eight who have been arrested  are Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, a Sabah-based construction company owner, a former deputy secretary from the ministry, Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, Tenom Umno Youth chief Jamawi Jaafar, and Tawau Umno Youth chief Ariffin Kassim, Hamid’s 37-year-old son-in-law Manzur Hussein Awal Khan and Warisan Putatan division secretary Amarjit Singh.

All but Yusof and Amarjit have been released on bail. The former’s remand ends on Saturday.