KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The Home Affairs Ministry must act upon Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin’s allegation that he was assaulted by a warden at the Kajang Prison while seeking a stay of his sentence for sedition, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

The PKR president also urged the Prison Department to respond to Wan Ji’s allegation made via a YouTube video on July 14.

“All claims have to be investigated thoroughly and I believe the Home Affairs Ministry will act accordingly,” Anwar told a press conference in Parliament lobby here today.

Anwar said he was never physically assaulted during his time at Sungai Buloh Prison, but stressed that rules must be observed.

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The politician had previously been imprisoned over sodomy convictions but has since received a royal pardon.

“And I believe in Wan Ji’s influence and would not make up the facts. Therefore, the relevant parties, which is in this case the Kajang Prison, has to investigate the matter,” Anwar added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said the matter has been brought to the police for investigation to be held.

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“We leave it to the police and we await the investigation report from them.

“At the moment we have not received anything yet,” he told reporters in Parliament.

In a YouTube video dated July 13, Wan Ji had detailed his experience while in custody at Kajang Prison and claimed that he was hit three times in the face by a warden who had his face covered with a cloth and has a thick Kelantan accent.

He asserted that others that were present in the room had laughed at the incident.

Upon his release on July 12, Wan Ji said he informed Anwar and his daughter, Nurul Izzah, of the alleged assault.

He said Anwar immediately called the Prison Department to demand that it find and apprehend the culprit.

On July 9, the High Court rejected Wan Ji’s appeal against his conviction for making seditious remarks against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor seven years ago, and had also raised his prison sentence from nine months to a year following a cross-appeal from the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Wan Ji was held in prison until July 12 as the judge refused to stay the execution of the sentence unless this was presented as a formal application.