Malaysian Diplomat Wanted In New Zealand For Sexually Assaulting 21-Year-Old Girl

Former Malaysian Diplomat Says He Isn't Guilty Of Sexual Assault And Burglary

In his latest court hearing, the former second warrant officer denied charges of burglary and assault with intent to commit sexual violation and will reappear in court next February.

Following an earlier court appearance, Rizalman is on bail at an undisclosed address but has had to surrender his passport and is under a night-time curfew.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Launches Ministerial Inquiry Into Sexual Attack After Alleged Victim Called For His Resignation

Alleged victim, Tania Billingsley says Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail followed her home and attempted to rape her on 9 May 2014

Image via imgur.com

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully on Friday announced a ministerial inquiry into the way diplomatic officials enabled a Malaysian diplomat to flee the country after he was charged in connection to a sex attack. McCully has come under renewed pressure after the alleged victim of the attack, who was 21 at the time, publicly called on him to resign over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's ( MFAT) "incompetent" handling of the case.

“He’s so intent on trying to put the responsibility on everybody else that he wasn’t putting energy towards fixing what had happened,” she said. “It’s embarrassing watching a grown man trying to put blame and talk his way out of what is failure at his own job... I think he should resign.”

"The inquiry report will recommend ways to rectify shortcomings and strengthen processes for the future management of diplomatic immunity cases," McCully said in a statement. "These events have had a serious impact on a young woman and have quite rightly undermined public confidence in the ability of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is important that we do all we can to improve the management of these cases."

McCully said in a statement he'd publicly apologized to Billingsley for "the poor management of this case."

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully

Image via zimbio.com

Malaysian Diplomat Will Be Sent Back To New Zealand To Face Attempted Rape Charge

Mohammed Rizalman Bin Ismail

Image via stuff.co.nz

Malaysia says it will send an envoy back to New Zealand to face an attempted rape charge as a diplomatic storm erupted over the case.

This would allow Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail to "cooperate fully and assist the New Zealand authorities" in investigations, it said. The Malaysian government said on Wednesday that the legal principle of "innocent until proven guilty" should apply to the accused.

"Malaysia has complete faith in the New Zealand legal system and has full confidence that Mr Muhammad Rizalman will be given fair treatment with dignity as provided under the law," it said.

It added that a senior military officer from Malaysia's defence ministry will accompany the diplomat, and the government would provide legal assistance if necessary.

New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully said this was a "very welcome development, which underlines the good faith and integrity with which they [Malaysia] have approached this issue".

1 July: A Malaysian Diplomat Has Allegedly Assaulted A 21-Year-Old Girl In New Zealand

The Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand.

Image via Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Wisma Putra has confirmed that a Malaysian diplomat is a suspect in a New Zealand sex assault case, saying he will stand trial if there is assurance of justice.

The Diplomat, Who Is Said To Be In His 30s, Allegedly Followed A 21-Year-Old Woman To Her House And Sexually Assaulted Her

Image via akamaihd.net

According to wire reports, the man in his 30s is alleged to have followed a 21-year-old woman home and assaulted her last month.

He had followed a 21-year-old woman to her Brooklyn home on May 9 when the alleged assault occurred.

He Was Charged With Burglary And Assault With The Intent To Rape

He was charged by New Zealand police with burglary and assault with the intent to rape, each of which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

After He Was Arrested, The Diplomat Claimed Diplomatic Immunity And "Fled" New Zealand To Return Home To Malaysia.

But, the man “fled” New Zealand to return to his own country when he invoked diplomatic immunity after his arrest on May 9.

A New Zealand Judge Had Previously Issued A Suppression Order On The Suspect's Identity And Nationality But The Ruling Was Later Overturned By The High Court

The man’s name and details of the case which could identify him have been withheld by a New Zealand judge.

An urgent hearing to overturn the suppression ruling was held in the High Court at Wellington today, where the name suppression was overturned. Media organisations, including the New Zealand Herald, challenged the decision to grant name suppression.

The Suspect Was Revealed To Be Mohammad Rizalman Bin Ismail, A Staff Assistant With The Defence Portfolio At The Malaysian High Commission In Wellington.

The diplomat is a staff assistant with a defence portfolio at the Malaysian High Commission, New Zealand media reported Tuesday.

He is Mohammed Rizalman Bin Ismail and worked at the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington.

The Case Has Created Much Uproar In New Zealand As The Country Stresses On How Serious The Situation Is

The case has created much uproar in New Zealand, especially over the inability to prosecute the accused for the sexual assault. The Keys administration had also come under much criticism from the NZ opposition and the public for having only summoned the High Commissioner of the diplomat's country more than a month after the incident.

Demanding For The Man's Diplomatic Immunity Be Waived, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Says They Have "Very Strong Preference" For The Suspect To Face Trial In The Country.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

Image via worldtvpc.com

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is reported to have said Monday that it was New Zealand’s “very strong preference” that the man face trial in the country. Key said the diplomat’s boss in New Zealand had been summoned by officials to emphasise how seriously New Zealand views the situation.

The New Zealand government revealed today that it was pursuing the extradition of a diplomat who had been accused of "assault with intent to commit rape" in Wellington last month. News portal Malaysiakini reported that NZ Prime Minister John Keys told media this morning that his administration had demanded that the man's diplomatic immunity be waived but were rebuffed.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Also Warned That Diplomatic Relations Between Both Countries Would Be Affected If The Diplomat Does Not Face The Charges

New Zealand Foreign Minister Warned That Diplomatic Relations Between New Zealand The Malaysia Would Be Affected If The Diplomat Does Not Face The Charges.

Image via telegraph.co.uk

Meanwhile, NZ foreign minister Murray McCully today warned that if the diplomat does not face the charges, it will affect relations between the country involved and New Zealand. "It will have a bearing on how we deal with the country concerned," McCully told New Zealand daily The Dominion Post.

He was also quoted as saying that officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) had made clear New Zealand's wish that the diplomat, now back in his home country, would face justice.

According To Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Wisma Putra Was Not Protecting The Diplomat As New Zealand Police Are Allowed To Pursue The Case.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman Says Wisma Putra Was Not Protecting The Diplomat.

Image via nasimonline.ir

Contacted by The Star yesterday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman confirmed that the accused was a Malaysian diplomat and that he had been recalled. Stressing that Wisma Putra was not “protecting” him, Anifah said he had asked that police investigations in New Zealand be allowed to continue in the interest of justice.

“Just because he is a diplomat does not mean he gets off scot-free,” Anifah said. “Diplomatic immunity is not about having the licence to commit crime. “I have spoken to our High Commissioner (in New Zealand),” he added.

Asked why the diplomat had been recalled, the minister said there could have been a misinterpretation of an email sent to Wisma Putra by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

However, The New Zealand Government Has Released Documents Showing The Malaysian Asking For The Charges Against The Diplomat To Be Dropped.

The New Zealand government has released documents rebutting Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman hours after he claimed that Wellington offered to allow a Malaysian diplomat suspected of sexual assault to return home.

The documents showed that Malaysia also asked for the charges against Muhammad Rizalman Ismail for burglary and assault with the intent to rape be dropped. One of the documents released is the Malaysian High Commission's letter to New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

"The High Commission of Malaysia would like to also seek the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand and the New Zealand police to kindly consider sealing all documentation pertaining to the above mentioned matter and withdrawing all charges against Muhammad Rizalman Ismail,” read the May 21 letter, sighted by Malaysiakini.

"The High Commission of Malaysia has the honour to inform that the government of Malaysia will not waive the personal immunity granted to Muhammad Rizalman Ismail and has decided that he should be repatriated to Malaysia as soon as possible. "Should the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand accept this arrangement, the High Commission proposes to send him and his family back home on Thursday, May 22, 2014, at 1.15pm by MH130," read the letter from the Malaysian mission.