BOMBSHELL – ‘TREASONOUS’ CIA LETTER IS REAL: SHIELDING HER FACE, NAJIB’S SPY CHIEF INSISTS IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DISGRACED EX PM – WHILE HER LAWYER CLAIMS LETTER ‘ROUTINE, NATURAL’ & NOT ‘TREASON’, WANTS IGP TO PROBE WHISTLE-BLOWERS FOR BREAKING OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT

Former Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) director-general Hasanah Abdul Hamid has filed a police report regarding a letter penned to the CIA ahead of the May 9 general election.

Accompanied by her lawyers Shaharudin Ali and Khairul Azam, she spent about an hour lodging the report at the Travers police station in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

When met later, Hasanah refused to comment beyond saying “the letter has got nothing to do with (former prime minister) Najib (Abdul Razak).”

Her lawyers, who requested that their client’s photograph be pixelated, are expected to hold a media conference at their firm’s Sentul office in Kuala Lumpur later this afternoon, but Hasanah won’t be present.

This is the first time that Hasanah has made an appearance and initiated action in response to news reports that she had penned the letter seeking US’ support should BN win with a narrow margin in GE14.

The letter, addressed to then CIA director-designate Gina Haspel, painted Najib as a staunch US ally and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as “anti-West and anti-Semite”.

Najib later said he was unaware of the letter and did not instruct Hasanah to write it. – – M’kini

Letter to CIA real, ex-’spy agency’ chief’s lawyer confirms

KUALA LUMPUR― The confidential letter penned by a local intelligence agency to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ahead of GE14 is genuine, lawyer Datuk Shaharudin Ali confirmed today.

Shaharudin, who is representing former director-general of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) chief Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid, however explained that it was just a routine “operational level” matter between the two intelligence agencies.

He also said that the move did not need to be referred to the prime minister, after Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he was unaware of its existence.

“The MEIO has established networks with the CIA and other intelligence agencies around the world and such exchange is natural to foster friendship… definitely not with the intention to commit treason.

“However what my client wants is for the police to investigate the matter and find who authorised the leakage of official government documents protected under the Official Secret Acts,” he said at a press conference here.

Hasanah filed a police report at the Jalan Travers police station here earlier.

MKINI / MALAY MAIL