Put leaders named in exposé on garden leave, says group

 

Police say the people behind the “whistleblower” Twitter account are being tracked down.

PETALING JAYA: The government should instruct leaders named in the “Edisi Siasat” exposés to go on garden leave, pending a thorough investigation into the details disclosed online, an anti-corruption group said today.

The Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) also called on the government to expedite the setting up of an investigation committee independent of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police.

C4 said the committee should comprise independent experts and civil society members.

It said the newly set-up National Anti-Financial Crime Centre should lead the formation and facilitation of an independent probe into claims of transgressions within MACC and the police force.

The police said earlier today that the individuals behind the “whistleblower” Edisi Siasat account on Twitter were being tracked down.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that most of the allegations of scandals among the authorities have been sensationalised.

He said police have opened 13 investigation papers into the account, which tweets information on alleged corruption and abuse of power involving government agencies.

In response, Edisi Siasat accused the IGP of jumping to conclusions before investigating the matter. “We just asked them to conduct an investigation into what we revealed,” it said in a post this evening. “The IGP announced the results of the investigation before the investigation began. Are you afraid we’re right?”

C4 said: “It has become clearer with each day that Edisi Siasat’s allegations must be dealt with through nothing less than a full-blown and independent investigation, led by independent and capable professionals outside of these two agencies.”

The findings must be made fully transparent, the group said, and reiterated its earlier calls for a truly Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission to be set up. “The Ismail Sabri (Yaakob) government must make this an urgent priority,” it said.

The allegations that Edisi Siasat made have included accounts of shareholdings by top officials, relationships with business leaders, and details of project awards. - FMT