NFA STATUS DOES NOT MEAN INVESTIGATION CLOSED ON FAISAL ACID CASE - BUKIT AMAN

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- Police will continue investigating the acid attack case against national footballer Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim, even though the case has now been classified as “No Further Action” (NFA).

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said that the NFA status refers to the arrest of three individuals, as well as other leads - including closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and a facial sketch distributed by police - which have been found to be unrelated to the case.

"This is the standard operating procedure (SOP) in any investigation. If an arrest does not contribute to or assist the investigation, the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) will classify the case as NFA until new developments or information arise," he said when contacted.

Elaborating, he said that the three individuals previously detained have been released after investigations found that the actual suspect used a false vehicle registration number while the forensic analysis of the suspects’ phone did not reveal any evidence of their involvement in the incident.

He added that CCTV footage and facial sketches obtained so far could not identify the real perpetrator.

Mohd Shuhaily said any new developments in the case would be communicated to the lawyers representing Faisal from time to time.

He said the investigation was still ongoing and the investigation paper would be referred back to the prosecution if new evidence or new leads emerge and advised the public not to make any speculation that could disrupt the investigation.

Bernama today reported that the lawyers representing Faisal had requested the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to re-open the investigation paper on the acid attack case involving the Selangor FC winger.

Lawyer Nik Zarith Nik Moustpha said they had submitted a letter to the AGC regarding the matter on April 15 but have yet to receive any response.

Nik Zarith said they received a letter from the AGC on Feb 18, which stated that the case had been classified as NFA.

On May 5 last year, the 27-year-old Faisal fell victim to an acid attack by an unidentified individual at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, suffering fourth-degree burns on several parts of his body and was subsequently placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for 10 days.

-- BERNAMA