KUALA LUMPUR — An aide for Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Azis Jamman has lost his job after being caught filming a woman up her skirt while accompanying his boss to an optometry shop in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Mr Azis said he was disgusted by what he saw, after a CCTV recording of the incident was given to him, and fired the officer on Sunday (Sept 10).

“I released him immediately, because I cannot compromise. I’m also shocked. I cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour,” Mr Aziz told Malay Mail when contacted.

He confirmed the incident happened on Saturday when the aide accompanied him to an optometry centre where he was getting his eyes checked.

“My wife was there, you know. Actually I was checking my eyes because I am far and short sighted. So I went to the shop together with my wife, my bodyguard and him.

“When the lady brought me to the room to test my eyes, I brought my officer together because it was not nice for me and the lady to be in the room like that, with my wife being outside.

“If you look at the video, at that time my eyes was closed because it was being checked, so I didn’t see at that time.

“I also didn’t know until just now, when someone sent me the video,” Mr Azis said, sounding upset.

In a statement later, Mr Azis explained that he sacked the officer as the latter’s action reflects on him and would tarnish his image and credibility as a deputy minister.

He also apologised for the incident.

“I would like to humbly apologise for the officer’s action, and it has no connection to the other officers in the deputy minister’s office who are working with me.”

A closed-circuit camera footage of the upskirt incident in a prominent shopping mall at the upmarket suburb of Sri Hartamas has gone viral on social media.

The one minute-and-46-second clip showed the unnamed aide dressed in a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt scooting one seat over to the woman dressed in a black dress while she was performing a check-up on Mr Azis, dressed in a long-sleeved grey shirt.

During the check-up, the aide could be seen holding his smartphone with his left hand and with the screen facing upwards near the woman, at times dipping it below her dress.

The optometrist lodged a police report on the incident on Saturday after she felt something amiss about the man’s behaviour and checked the store’s CCTV recording.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mazlan Lazim said the case was being investigated under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which can be punished with jail up to a maximum five years, a fine or both.

The suspected voyeur is also being investigated under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for insulting behaviour, which carries a maximum fine of RM100 (S$33.31).

The aide was subsequently arrested by the police on Monday afternoon.

“He was picked up at around 1pm for questioning, where we will detain him for 24 hours first before applying for a remand order if needed,” said Sentul police chief R Munusamy.

The aide had earlier denied recording any upskirt video .

Speaking to The Malaysian Insight, the aide said he did not tape the woman as alleged.

The man explained that he handed his phone to the woman after she confronted him.

“I knew about the report but the taping did not occur. It looked like I taped her but I did not.

“It was her assumption. When she confronted me, I gave my phone to her, for her to check,” the aide stated. AGENCIES