A UK tourist says he is stuck in Malaysia after the courts ‘confiscated his passport over a £1.27 parking ticket’. Ahmed Hadi, 47, claims he left his car for 10 minutes in a Penang car park on December 7, during a visit with his family.He says he tried to pay the parking fee when he left – seven Malaysian ringgits – but the machine wouldn’t accept either of his cards.
The electrician, from London, said he pressed a button for help and spoke to parking officials for another 10 minutes, but says they weren’t able to help. And without anyone on site to ask, he lifted the plastic barrier to leave the car park, bending the barrier.Days later he was arrested and ended up in court before his solicitor reached a deal with the parking firm.
But eight weeks since the parking incident he’s still without his passport, which was taken by the court as part of his bail conditions, he claims. He had travelled to the country with his wife, Lucy, and two daughters, intending to live there, but has decided he doesn’t want to stay.Ahmed said: “The whole thing was ridiculous from the start.
“I was willing to pay but they couldn’t take the money and wouldn’t let me out. I thought we’d sorted everything out but I still don’t have my passport or any idea when or if I’ll get it back.Malaysia is a hell hole with no human rights.
“The conditions were awful in the cells – 50 people sharing one toilet. One of the police threatened to beat me up.We think Britain is broken but this makes you realise how good we have it.This country is a rip off and you’re not free.”
Ahmed and his family left the UK in August, spent three months in Thailand and arrived in Malaysia on December 4. They had parked their car, on December 7, intending to go for a meal but just stayed for a coffee because the restaurant they planned to go to was closed.
Ahmed said he lifted the barrier and the plastic bent when he lifted it. He said: “There was no other way out.It was quite annoying and ridiculous.I was gentle with the barrier but it just caved in like paper.”
Ahmed got a call from the police on December 9, and was ordered to the police station where he was questioned for two hours then arrested for breaking the barrier, he said. He was taken to court the next day and police were given more time to investigate, he said.
Lucy phoned the British consulate and got a lawyer and Ahmed was back in court. Lucy payed three guarantors to bail him – a total of around £2,240 – plus an additional £1,000 to a solicitor.Ahmed was allowed out but the court took his passport.
The solicitor met with the car park owner at the beginning of January and the couple paid £180 to cover the repair costs to the barrier, Lucy said. They went back to court but Ahmed has to reappear on February 17 for reasons unknown, he claims.
He said: “We considered living here before this but there’s no way – it’s inhumane. When I was arrested nobody read me my rights. I was moved to a different cell every day.Lucy had no idea where I was or what was happening.”
Lucy, a business owner, added: “Ahmed is British but also from Kuwait so they just kept saying ‘he’s a rich man.’ It’s basically a police state, there’s no freedom of speech.They just arrest you for anything and they do it to make money.”
The British Embassy in Malaysia did not respond to a request for comment.