A Malaysian court docket remanded well-liked rapper Namewee in custody on Monday, his lawyer stated, a part of a homicide investigation trying into the dying of a Tawainese influencer in a Kuala Lumpur resort room.
Namewee, whose actual identify is Wee Meng Chee, handed himself over to police on Wednesday after he was named a “person of interest” within the probe into the dying of Iris Hsieh, also called Hsieh Yu-hsin, or “nurse goddess” to followers.
The 31-year-old influencer was discovered useless on October 22 in a bath at a high-end resort within the Malaysian capital. She was in Malaysia to debate a industrial video Namewee had agreed to direct, her social media supervisor instructed the BBC.
The probe was reclassified from a “sudden death report” to a homicide case, with police saying they needed to query Namewee, believed to have been the final particular person in Hsieh’s firm.
Namewee, 42, has denied any wrongdoing and stated in an Instagram publish earlier this month that “the truth will speak for itself.”
His lawyer, Joshua Tay, instructed AFP that “the investigation is still ongoing and this is why the police is asking for an extension of the remand,” which he stated the court docket granted for an additional three days.
Malaysian media reported Namewee contacted emergency companies shortly after midnight on October 22 after he discovered Hsieh unresponsive within the rest room.
Police arrested Namewee that very same day, after they discovered 9 blue capsules believed to be ecstasy within the resort room, the BBC reported. Namewee denied he had used medication however examined optimistic for a number of illicit substances, together with amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine, and THC, police stated, in line with the BBC.
On Monday, he pleaded not responsible to the drug costs and was launched on bail, the BBC reported.
Namewee, an outspoken hip-hop artist, actor and filmmaker, is vastly well-liked in China and Taiwan. He sings primarily in Mandarin.
Malaysian rapper Wee Meng Chee, recognized by his stage identify Namewee, gestures throughout a press convention in Taipei on November 15, 2021.
SAM YEH/AFP through Getty Pictures
Identified for his trademark beanie and infrequently carrying sun shades, Namewee was blacklisted by Beijing in 2021 after he penned a Mandarin music poking enjoyable at Chinese language nationalists.
The monitor hit greater than 30 million views on YouTube.
Namewee has additionally repeatedly been on the heart of controversy in Malaysia, which he hails from.
In 2007, he launched “Negarakuku,” a parody of the Malaysian nationwide anthem which sparked outrage as a result of its flippant lyrics.
In 2016, he was detained for a number of days for allegedly insulting Islam over a video partly filmed inside a mosque within the Muslim-majority nation.
He was arrested once more two years later once more for allegedly insulting Islam with a Lunar New Yr video that featured dancers carrying canine masks and performing suggestive strikes.
Hsieh has over over half 1,000,000 followers on Instagram. She had 4 different social media accounts suspended for “adult sexual solicitation”, CNA reported.
Hsieh’s social media supervisor, who requested solely to be known as Chris, instructed the BBC that her household had been unable to go to Malaysia to comply with up on the case due to their “severe disabilities”.
Extra from CBS Information
