Probe A-G before government integrity harmed further, says ex-cop

Gani has been the target of a series of open letters by Mat Zain over the former’s role in Anwar’s 1998 “black eye” incident. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 ― The police must investigate Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail for power abuse in light of a new book accusing the Attorney-General of being a fraud, a cheat and a criminal, and show the same diligence with which they probed a sensational 1998 book on why Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could not be prime minister, a former senior policeman said today.

Retired criminal investigation chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim told Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar that the men in blue must probe the government’s top lawyer due to the increasing public pressure and scrutiny, which he suggested could irrevocably damage public trust in government institutions. 

“We have seen and are fed up of trickery and Gani Patail’s lies in handling the RCI’s on the black-eye incident, VK Lingam, and most clearly in the Teoh Beng Hock RCI,” he said in an open letter to the IGP.

Abdul Gani, who has extensive authority over the country’s legal affairs, has been repeatedly accused of fabricating evidence in the 1999 sodomy and corruption trial of Anwar, a deputy prime minister-turned-opposition leader, by Mat Zain whose open letters to the authorities were among the sources of Zainal Abidin Ahmad’s book.

Mat Zain had written to the IGP following the recent publication of a book titled “Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail: Pemalsu, Penipu, Penjenayah? (Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail: Fraud, Cheat, Criminal?)” written by Zainal.

He noted that a leading public figure, businessman Tan Sri Robert Phang who was also a former advisor to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, had filed a police report against Abdul Gani two days ago, based on the contents of the book.

“I got to know that several people who have scrutinised Zainal’s book on Gani Patail, hope the police will investigate the contents as the police diligently investigated the book ‘50 Dalil’ related to Anwar Ibrahim,”

The ex-police officer was referring to a controversial 1998 book, “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister” written by Khalid Jafri, an ex-editor of the Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia, which alleged that the then-deputy PM was gay in a Muslim-dominated country that criminalises sodomy.

Today, Mat Zain said Abdul Gani’s high-ranking position as the public prosecutor did not indemnify his past actions or make him immune to prosecution as all citizens are equal before the law.

He highlighted as an example minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s reply to Parliament on March 30 last year that the A-G does not have the power to “indemnify” anyone from crime based on political considerations.

Mat Zain added that the author could not prove his allegations about Abdul Gani’s wrongdoings on his own.

“However, I can, I am willing and ready to prove the allegations against Gani Patail and Musa Hassan, especially related to the forgery and cheating in the black eye incident that is still being debated to today,” the ex-CID chief said in the letter.

He was referring to the 13-year-long scandal alleging both the A-G and then-IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan, of fabricating evidence to cover up Anwar’s bruised face after being beaten up while under police custody.

Mat Zain said there were many outstanding questions that Abdul Gani and the authorities have yet to answer.

He said Nazri, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the de facto law minister, has pledged to look into the mystery of RM40 million worth of assets belonging to former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik (RTC), that had been acknowledged previously by Abdul Gani and anti-graft officials.

“If it has been returned to RTC, what is the Attorney-General’s power to do so when the assets were confirmed obtained by corruption and power abuse?” Mat Zain asked.

The ex-policeman appeared to suggest that the A-G’s alleged power abuses may continue unless checked now.

He warned that the government’s move to hold royal panels to investigate national issues ― such as the ongoing controversy illegal immigrants being fast-tracked for citizenship in Sabah and the oil royalties for Kelantan, which has been deprived of income for decades, which have both been turned into electoral fodder in the run up to national polls ― would not benefit the public with Abdul Gani in the A-G’s chair.

“Wherever there are elements of Gani Patail’s involvement in any panel, committee or Royal Commission of Inquiry, there will be fraud, deception and cheating,” Mat Zain said.