Musa too abused powers while IGP, says Ramli Yusuff

Musa had claimed that ministers and politicians interfered with police matters. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Tan Sri Musa Hassan had abused his power while he was the Inspector-General of Police and colluded with the Attorney-General to escape from being arraigned in a 2006 criminal court case, his former colleague and rival in the force, Datuk Ramli Yusuff, has alleged.

The retired Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) director was responding to the ex-IGP’s bombshell at a new conference last week in which the latter had accused Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as among ministers and politicians who had interfered with police matters.

“CCID once captured a criminal named Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh in December 2006. Tengku Goh made his affidavit and implicated Musa Hassan’s name.

“Then I handed it to the A-G’s office but it was never filed in court, resulting in the habeas corpus application by Tengku Goh being allowed and [he] was freed,” Ramli told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

The retired police veteran has been a vocal critic of Musa and A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, both whom he blames for putting him in the dock on a corruption charge in 2007, which several mainstream media had sensationalised as the case of the “RM27 million cop”.

“Instead, the A-G directed the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to get confidential files regarding this case and hunted down informants to change their original testimonies,” said Ramli, who was once the nation’s third-most senior police officer.

Asked what proof he had to support his allegation, he said: “If what I say is not right, I am ready for Musa or Gani to take legal action against me. Berani kerana benar [bold as true].”

Ramli was at one time the nation’s third-most senior police officer.

Ramli also stood up for Musa’s successor, IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar, and said the latter should be given the chance to prove his capability.

“The negative perception started during Musa Hassan’s term. Tan Sri Ismail Omar is making an effort to improve that image,” he said, referring to the endemic poor public confidence in the police force.

“To me, it is not just if Musa attacks relentlessly the IGP now.”

Ramli said that Musa’s criticism against the public institution the latter once led and the government was nothing new.

“He started becoming vocal and criticised the government when Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin announced his service would not be extended,” Ramli said, referring to the ex-IGP, and adding that it was the source of Musa’s disgruntlement.

Musa served as IGP for three years before retiring on September 13, 2010, after a corruption case that was closed in July 2007 for lack of evidence.

The nation’s former No. 1 watchman had last week described his working relationship with Hishammuddin as cordial, but the home minister did not see eye-to-eye with him on the command of the police force, saying that his refusal to indulge those who tried to interfere had likely been the reason why his tenure had not been extended.

The police force and other enforcement agencies fall under the home minister’s portfolio.

“When I found out that instructions were given to junior officers and OCPDs (Officer in Charge of Police District) without my knowledge, then something is wrong.

“So, I highlighted to him section 4(1) of the Police Act ... command and control of the police force is by the IGP, not a minister.

“I talked to him nicely, he didn’t like it ... that’s why (my tenure) was not extended,” Musa told a news conference last week organised by Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch), a crime watchdog which had claimed that it will “challenge any statistics that the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) comes out with”.

The organisation claimed that it has the “real” crime statistics from the police force which, it said, are “manipulated” before their release to the public.

MyWatch also claimed to have evidence of alleged links between high-ranking police officers and underworld kingpins.

It plans to release its revelations in stages, starting from next week, if the police continue to refuse working with it.

Musa also quoted section 4(1) of the Police Act, which states that police orders must only come from the IGP, who will be liable for such instructions.

He said that command and control over the police force should rest entirely on the IGP, adding that no other individual should be accorded the same right for the sake of checks and balances in the system.

Musa also took aim at his successor, Ismail, suggesting the latter was a yes-man who bowed to politicians’ influence.