Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and inspector-general of police Musa Hassan have both been cleared of any criminal involvement in Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's black-eye case, according to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (below).
He was replying to Gobind Singh-Deo (DAP-Puchong) on why no action has been taken by the authorities after Anwar lodged reports with the police and the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) last July.
Subsequently, the ACA - now called the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission - set up an independent panel to probe the case.
The panel members were Kadir Sulaiman, Wira Mohd Nor and Ahmad Nor Abdullah - all former judges from the Federal Court and Court of Appeal.
According to Nazri, the investigation by the three-member panel began on July 2 last year.
"The investigation was completed two months later as it was considered a sensitive and high-profile case," he said.
"After a detailed investigation, they found the AG and the IGP did not commit any crime relating to the case as alleged by Anwar," he added.
He further said that each of the DPPs had to probe independently in order to obtain personal views on the matter.
However, several Opposition MPs were not convinced by the minister’s answer, stressing that there had been no information on the case after the investigation was done.
In his supplementary question, Gobind queried Nazri on when the decision by the panel was made and how come there was no information by the authorities.
“We have also not been informed about the decision, also on whether or not any action has been taken against the suspects,” asserted Gobind.
Who made the final decision?
But Nazri assured that they (authorities) needed “ample time to make the decision public so that it will not be doubted by some parties”.
Soon after that, opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) stood up and questioned Nazri on who made the final decision as the investigation was conducted independently.
“Let’s say one of them decides that the AG is guilty. In that case, who makes the final decision?” asked Lim.
Nazri explained that the decision was made based on majority, and in this case the three members have found no case against the IGP, and only one of the three found a case against the AG.
He however refused to divulge further details on the decision.
Later at a press conference, Anwar, who is also de facto leader for PKR said that it was typical for them to “manipulate” the facts adduced to MACC.
“It is not easy to bring a case against those two without evidence, and it also depends on what have been submitted,” said Anwar.
He further accused Nazri of using the Parliament as a place to “defend the case” as the latter chose to reply to the matter in the House this morning.
'I am just disgusted'
Anwar also reiterated that he had “written to every member of the advisory panel and given them the evidence”.
“I just want to see whether they would respond or not”, he said, adding that "just because it refers to the VVIPs, they will be spared."
When asked whether he is angry on the latest development, he replied: “I’m seldom angry, I’m just disgusted.”
Last month, Anwar had lodged a separate police report claiming that the AG and the IGP were involved in a conspiracy to fabricate an arrest warrant which led to his arrest in 1998.
Anwar had accused both Abdul Gani (left) and Musa of fabricating evidence in an investigation into the beating he received while in police custody by former police chief Abdul Rahim Noor a decade ago.
Anwar, then deputy prime minister, was arrested in 1998 and later jailed for sodomy and corruption. The sodomy conviction was later overturned.
Previously, the oppposition leader had said that the involvement of Abdul Gani and Musa was further affirmed by a defamation suit against him last October by Mat Zain Ibrahim, the investigating officer who probed the 'black eye' incident.
Mat Zain had stated that Abdul Gani, who was then a senior deputy public prosecutor, delayed the investigation process and concealed facts from then AG, the late Mohtar Abdullah.
Police report in July 2008
Musa was then the investigating officer into previous cases against Anwar, where the former DPM was accused of abuse of power, corruption and sodomy.
In his July 2008 police report, Anwar had alleged: "I believe Musa and Abdul Gani were present in Bukit Aman on Sept 20, 1998 and knew about the assault by Rahim Noor on me.
"Musa and Abdul Gani further concealed the fact of the assault on me from the public until my black eye and injuries were revealed in court."
"I believe both Musa (right) and Abdul Gani were actively involved in the procuring of the second undated (medical) report by Dr (Abdul) Rahman (Yusof) which makes false and incredible conclusions (regarding his injury).
"They gave instructions to Dr Rahman to proceed to write this second report and were acting under the direction and/or jointly with Mohtar.
"These facts show that Musa, Abdul Gani and Mat Zain (who, according to Dr Rahman's second report, accompanied him to the cell in Bukit Aman where I was detained and participated in the so-called reconstruction of the scene) conspired with Dr Rahman to procure the production of this second report."
"This was done so that my police report of Sept 27, 1998, in respect of the assault would be regarded as a false police report for which I could be charged, or at the very least, to damage my credibility, so as to affect my defence in the other criminal cases where I was charged for so-called corruption and sodomy to facilitate a conviction."
malaysiakini
11/03/09
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