Why not a tribunal for Gani, asks ex-senior cop

A former senior police officer has questioned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as to why he is does not want a tribunal to investigate attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, but could give the nod to the formation of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on illegal migrants in Sabah.

The premier 's rejection of a tribunal on the attorney-general, comes despite an abundance of allegations and evidence against Gani that warrant such a move.

In an open letter sent to Najib two days ago, the senior police officer, Mat Zain Ibrahim, also revealed another possible misconduct by Gani with regard to documents relating to Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) probe into the bank accounts of former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik.

Mat Zain was the investigating officer in former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s four police reports lodged between July 9 and Aug 20, 1999, on political personalities such as former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz, Rahim and the late Perwaja chairperson Eric Chia.

Mat Zain said in Anwar’s report filed from the Sungai Buloh prison, Anwar had appended confidential documents related to his claims, including those on Rahim, which included information that the ACA and the prosecution had prepared four preferred charges against the former Malacca chief minister and Umno Youth chief.

Three of the charges were for abuse of power and corruption involving RM40 million, while the other was for making a false statutory declaration.

Mat Zain said in his investigations, he found that the documents on Rahim which included bank accounts and detailed banking data, were marked confidential and signed by Gani.

“Throughout the course of my investigations I found that someone had leaked these confidential investigation papers, including the bank-related accounts of Rahim, to Anwar, despite these being marked ‘Rahsia’ by Gani.

“If Gani had leaked the documents including Rahim’s confidential bank accounts, then a similar charge could be framed against Gani, just as PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli and former bank clerk and whistleblower Johari Mohamad are facing under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia),” Mat Zain says in his open letter, a copy of which which was obtained by Malaysiakini.

Mat Zain claimed that following Anwar’s police report, the attorney-deneral had asked the case to be classified under the Official Secrets Act.

 

“However, as the investigating officer, I wrote to the CID director that the case be classified under Section 2 (1) Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2, 1970 for abuse of power.

“Investigations centred on how Anwar came to be in possession of the confidential documents marked by Gani and to identify who was responsible for leaking them.

“I have also proposed that a notice be issued to Anwar under Section 51(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code to compel him to reveal all documents that he has in his possession.”

‘Gani lodges report, Musa hijacks probe’

Four days after he submitted the letter to the CID director, Mat Zain said, he received a letter from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, dated Aug 28, 1999, that was addressed to him and marked confidential.

The letter was to inform him that Gani has lodged a police report over Anwar’s revelations and that the matter was being investigated by the assistant director of CID (prosecution) Musa Hassan.

The former Kuala Lumpur CID chief said he was not informed about the contents of Gani’s report or the police report number or why Gani had complained about Rahim’s matter only.

“I consider Gani and Musa’s actions were to hijack the Kuala Lumpur police investigations and prevent the police from investigating  Anwar’s police report thoroughly. I do not know the outcome of Musa’s investigations on Gani’s report over Rahim’s investigations leak.”

Saying he was prepared to reveal all this if a tribunal is called and that he fully understood the consequences of perjury, Mat Zain said he also wants Najib to state his stand if it was revealed that Gani had violated the Bafia law as Rafizi and Johari are facing.

He said he expected Gani to deny responsibility in revealing the results of the ACA investigations, the financial documents and Rahim’s banking accounts as well, which Gani himself had marked as confidential.

No better way to absolve than tribunal

“If Gani wants to deny it, then let him make the statement. The fact is Rahim’s bank accounts marked by Gani as confidential had been leaked to those who are not authorised and were also put up on the Internet.”

“If Gani had allowed the fabrication of evidence in the black-eye royal commission of inquiry with regard to appointing a specialist(Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof) who he had personally instructed, and the evidence being withdrawn before it was submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, what more of other matters,” said Mat Zain, who was also the investigating officer in the black-eye case.

Mat Zain said there was no other body qualified to adjudicate on the present attorney-general than a tribunal.

He said Najib had last March rejected the calls for a tribunal although many credible exposures about Gani’s misconduct had surfaced in the public domain.

“I place my trust in the PM to reconsider that stand. If Najib is willing to have an RCI to investigate the influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah, then he should consider the wishes of the people in the peninsula who have asked many times for a tribunal to be formed against Gani for the alleged misconduct,” Mat Zain said.