KUCHING: Sarawak police are investigating a report that former Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud was removed from a hospital here against medical advice.

       State police commissioner Comm Datuk Mancha Ata confirmed that a police report was lodged on the matter.

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       "The case is being investigated under Section 336 of the Penal Code," he said in a statement on Monday (Feb 5).

       Section 336 covers rash or negligent action which endangers human life or personal safety.

       Comm Mancha also urged the public not to speculate or spread false news on the matter.

       He said those who spread fake news could face action for defamation under Section 500 of the Penal Code or improper use of network facilities under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

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       According to the police report, which had gone viral on social media, Taib was "absconded" from the hospital against medical advice by his wife, Toh Puan Raghad Kurdi Taib, at close to midnight on Feb 3.

       The report alleged that he was brought down in a wheelchair by Raghad's butler and bodyguards and carried into a vehicle at the hospital's main entrance.

       Taib, 87, had served three terms as Sarawak Governor from March 1, 2014, until Jan 26 this year, when Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar succeeded him.

       He was previously Sarawak's longest-serving chief minister from 1981 to 2014.