RCI: 'Money was their master'

 

(NST) - NO ORDERS GIVEN: Those who issued ICs to foreigners in Sabah did it for money, RCI told

KOTA KINABALU: THOSE  behind the issuance of Malaysian identity documents to foreigners in Sabah were doing it solely for the money and not under instructions from anyone, the Royal Commission of Inquiry was  told yesterday.

Several former state National Registration Department (NRD) admitted to selling the documents on their own accord and not under orders from any quarter.

Sarawak Special Branch head Datuk Ibrahim Zakaria, who took the stand as the 33rd witness, testified that in 1996, he had been tasked to interview former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Datuk Abdul Rauf Sani, who had served as Sabah NRD director from 1990 to 1992.

"He (Rauf) had admitted to issuing 6,305 identity cards to foreigners and had collected RM167,300 from it. He also admitted to doing so for personal profit and on his own will without instructions from any quarter."

Ibrahim, who was then with Bukit Aman Special Branch, added that Rauf was detained under the ISA for illegally issuing identity cards.

Rauf had told the inquiry that blue identity cards were issued to increase the number of Muslim voters in Sabah.

He had said the immigrants issued with identity cards were taught how to vote in elections, or risked having their documents withdrawn.

Intelligence Technical Unit staff officer of the Kelantan police headquarters, Deputy Superintendent Badaruddin Ismail, told the panel that another ex-Sabah NRD director, Ramli Kamaruddin, had admitted to giving 16,000 receipts known as JPN 1/9 (temporary identity documents) and JPN 1/11 (temporary documents to indicate the holder of an identity document that was reported lost) to foreigners.

Badaruddin told the the panel that during his interview with the former ISA detainee, Ramli had charged RM250 for each receipt and had received more than RM1 million from it.

Ramli had also said that he did not receive any instruction from anyone, including government leaders, to issue the temporary identity documents to foreigners from 1993 to 1995.

Badaruddin told the inquiry that Ramli had distributed the money among subordinates involved in the scam and had used it for his own use.

The money was also used to sponsor a sports event in Penang for state NRD employees.

Ramli, however, had told the RCI that then deputy home minister, the late Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub, had ordered him to issue NRD receipts, which matched the names and IC numbers of registered voters, to immigrants.

Ramli had claimed that some 200 NRD receipts had been issued in five or six state constituencies before the 1994 state election.

The 1994 state election saw Parti Bersatu Sabah winning 25 out of 48 state assembly seats.

Ibrahim and Badaruddin were among nine witnesses called to testify. The inquiry resumes today.