BATU PUTEH & AG Gani: MACC grills Mat Zain over HK bank account but is it a ploy to avoid RCI?

Three months after coming out with his controversial statutory declaration, former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for about 9 hours yesterday.

Mat Zain said he was questioned by "two very senior and experienced officers" at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.

He said the officers touched on several points of his SD but did not want to disclose what they were.

It was, however, learnt that Mat Zain was questioned particularly on his claim that millions of ringgit were transferred into a bank account in Hong Kong after Malaysia lost Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore.

"I don't know when they (MACC) started the investigations, but they were very thorough in their questions.

"At the end of it, my statement contained more pages than my SD," he said.

Mat Zain in his 31-page SD urged Putrajaya to get the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s consent to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Pulau Batu Puteh.

"I hope the prime minister will not hide behind the MACC's investigation and ignore the setting up of a RCI," he said.

Earlier today, an Umno delegate from Johor urged Putrjaya to investigate the contents of Mat Zain's SD as it involved national sovereignty.

Debating the president’s address at the Umno general assembly, Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan said Mat Zain's claims must be investigated as it also involves the party's dignity.

Mat Zain made the SD on October 7 and sent copies to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other senior Putrajaya officers.

In the sworn document, he urged Putrajaya to investigate alleged the wrongdoing of Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, particularly in the ownership case of Pulau Batu Puteh.

Mat Zain decided to go public with his SD after there was no response from Putrajaya, resulting in copies of the document being sent to several members of parliament and several news portals earlier this week.

Five opposition MPs then lodged separate police reports, urging the authorities to investigate the contents of the SD. - TMI