KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The police have insisted their intentions to continue pursuing extradition for transgender entrepreneur Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman, despite the latter being granted asylum in Australia.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department Director Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan was reported saying that the police have yet to be formally informed of her status in Australia.
“Formally we still have not received confirmation that Nur Sajat is in Australia, however, we can see [that] based on recent social media postings.
“Officially, we have not received the confirmation from our embassies. We will try [to extradite] according to the laws [of] Australia,” Abd Jalil was quoted saying in a report by The Star.
The senior officer also revealed how investigations are still ongoing into Nur Sajat’s allegations of molest against her by Selangor religious authorities during her arrest earlier this year.
“We will investigate the matter from all angles,” he said, urging Nur Sajat to return home on her own volition, saying this could assist police investigations into her abuse claims.
Over the past few years, the transgender entrepreneur has been hounded by religious authorities and local media due to her gender identity and her popularity on social media.
Earlier this year, she had reportedly slipped into Bangkok, Thailand, after an arrest warrant against her for skipping a court hearing related to charges of allegedly “insulting Islam” for wearing feminine clothing when hosting a religious event.
The police later confirmed this saying efforts to extradite her from their Thai counterparts had been initiated, and that her photograph had been distributed to border control authorities as early as March to keep an eye out for her.
The police had taken the action following a request by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).
However, last month Nur Sajat revealed through her social media platforms how she was on her way to the Oceanic nation after being granted asylum by Australia.
Nur Sajat had also asserted that she had been completely unaware that Malaysian authorities were trying to extradite her, and how she sold off most of her businesses here before leaving to Australia.
In a recent interview with Malay Mail, Nur Sajat expressed her excitement at being able to start over in her new country, where she plans to rebuild her cosmetics business empire there, while attending cultural orientation, business and English classes to help with her assimilation there.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs offers refugee visas for those facing persecution in their home country, and humanitarian visas for those facing substantial discrimination or human rights abuses.
