Najib: Sarbani died "in the blink of an eye", no need for RCI

Prime Minister Najib Razak was panned for callous remarks that undermined the seriousness and tragedy of the death of Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, the assistant director of Selangor Customs, who 'fell' to death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission

There are growing calls for Najib to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Sarbani's death, similar to the one being conducted for Selangor political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

But according to Najib, it was wrong to compare Teoh's death with Sarbani's.

"No two cases can be expected to be the same but the similarities are quite strong. Both were invited for questioning - one died soon after questioning and the other a couple of days after questioning but both deaths happened in the premises of the MACC. And under questionable circumstances," Ramon Navaratnam, chariman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"If we have an RCI for one, we should also have another or at least one similar to an RCI for the other. The public would expect the same standards for Sarbani and for Anwar Ibrahim. It is time the government recognize how important it is to have public confidence in the MACC and the other institutions."

RCI for sex video, no RCI for suspicious death

But, in Sarawak on Thursday, Najib said he found it "bizarre" for the Pakatan Rakyat to object to an RCI on a sex video implicating Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar has denied being involved in the tape and a recent snippet posted on You Tube showed a much younger and fatter man in the tape rather than the thin and still-frail 63-year old Anwar.

Najib also sidestepped questions on why his police force have refused to arrest the three Umno men who tried to annonymously screen the video and blackmail Anwar into resigning from politics - which would be to Najib's benefit.

"Usually it is them who always jump up and down for an RCI for whatever issue, it is their first reaction. But now they are being silent, which goes to show that the opposition is inconsistent and will only do things that benefit them,” Najib told a press conference in Kuching.

Differences or similarities

In the Sarbani case, Najib said the deceased had gone to the MACC building on his own accord whereas Teoh had been hauled up for questioning.

He omitted to mention that Sarbani had actually been remanded last week and was out on bail on Saturday, while Teoh was merely a witness.

"As I understand it, Sarbani went to the MACC office voluntarily to change his statement and died in the blink of an eye, just as an MACC officer was calling the investigating officer. He was not being questioned. It is different to the Teoh Beng Hock case," Malaysiakini reported Najib as saying.

Sarbani is believed to have fallen to his death from the third floor of the MACC building in Jalan Cochrane. His friends insist that he did not commit suicide and was in a happy frame of mind.

However, Sarbani was part of an MACC dragnet into a corruption and money-laundering racket involving billions of ringgit. Speculation is rife that there is a massive government cover-up and Customs staff are being discouraged to blow the lid on what is really going on.

More than meets the eye

Transparency International Malaysia has issued a statement urging priority on getting to the bottom of both Sarbani's death and the money-laundering racket. Transparency president Paul Low has called on the MACC to not only expose the smally fry but to also go after the "Big Fish" and the true culprits.

The Najib administration had raised eyebrow when it tried to defelect public anger against Sarbani's death by focusing on the graft probe. Yet although more than 60 Customs men were arrested and huge stashes of illicit cash and even gold bars were uncovered, only senior officers such as Sarbani were detained.

Politicians especially the top-tiered leaders with real pull were spared. Still, Najib promised a "comprehensive" investigation.

"We must remember that MACC is doing this to safeguard national funds. Corruption is serious and if we can stop this racket, which has been ongoing for years, then it is the rakyat who will benefit. We never expected this death but we must remember the initial reason for the operation," he said.

- Malaysia Chronicle