Headmaster among four probed under Official Secrets Act for UPSR leak

Police have obtained a four-day remand order against four suspects in the UPSR leak. – The Malaysian Insider pic, September 15, 2014.

Police have obtained a four-day remand order against four men, including a Penang primary school headmaster, who are being probed under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leak of the UPSR examination papers.

The other suspects are two teachers from Penang and an insurance agent from Kuala Lumpur.

The remanded order was issued after police produced the suspects, aged between 30 and 50, before magistrate Nur Dahlia Azmi in Putrajaya today.

Their lawyer Ester Tan Siew Choo said police applied for a seven-day remand order but the magistrate only gave them four days.

Tan said the suspects were investigated under Section 8 (1) of the rarely used OSA 1972 for possession of official secrets and communicating such information to others.

Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng said 12 people had been questioned so far to facilitate investigations.

The Science papers 018, 028 and 038, scheduled last Thursday, were postponed following a leak the day before.

On Thursday, the UPSR English papers 014/1 and 014/2 were also found to have been leaked, causing public outrage.

Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Education Minister II Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh had issued public apologies over the leaks.

On Friday, Muhyiddin also ordered the immediate suspension of Examinations Syndicate director Dr Na'imah Ishak and her deputy (operations) Dr Wan Ilias Wan Salleh.

"The top officials have to take responsibility for this leak which has tarnished the image and reputation of the Education Ministry," Muhyiddin said.

The leaks have forced 473,175 pupils from 8,384 schools nationwide to resit their Science and English papers on September 30.

- TMI