Former cop challenges AG to re-open probe into Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye case

Former police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim today challenged Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail (pic) to re-open investigations into the "black eye" incident after the Attorney General yesterday ordered a fresh probe into a teenage bride's alleged rape case in Kedah.

"If Abdul Gani can direct the police to re-open investigations into the rape case, he can issue similar instructions into the black eye case.

"He can instruct the police to look into any mistake or loose end which the investigating officer or deputy public prosecutor may have overlooked in the black eye case," said Mat Zain in reference to the case where Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was assaulted while in police custody.

At a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday, AG Abdul Gani announced police will re-open investigations into the rape of a 13-year-old girl from Kedah who married and later divorced one of her alleged rapists.

"I have ordered the investigations to be re-opened due to public interest. I have to take public interest into account as well.

"When the police report was lodged last year, two out of three suspects were arrested. The third suspect is still at large despite his identity being known to the police. Of the two who were arrested, one was charged in court and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to a year at a reform school in Paya Terubong," Abdul Gani had said.

Media reports said the girl's marriage to a 19-year-old youth took place on November 17 after the Kulim Syariah Court gave permission as she was underaged.

Her father had initially claimed that he agreed to the marriage to prevent the couple from being involved in illicit acts.

However, the union has now ended in divorce and allegations that that the girl's husband and two friends had raped her four months before they tied the knot have cropped up.

It was reported that the girl's father had allowed his daughter to marry the youth because the latter's parents had begged him to withdraw his police report.

"I have given police a week to obtain the additional information which I am looking for. Then I will study the findings of the investigating officer before making a decision," he had said.

In a statement today, Mat Zain said he challenged Abdul Gani to re-open investigations on a Dang Wangi police report which was lodged by Anwar on July 1, 2008. In that report, Anwar had claimed that the authorities had fabricated evidence against him in the black eye incident.

Mat Zain said Abdul Gani and former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan were cleared of allegations that they fabricated evidence.

"But me and Kuala Lumpur Hospital pathologist Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, who were also named in the report, were left to become the topic of speculation and assumption by the public," said Mat Zain, the former KL CID chief.

He pointed out the alleged fabrication of evidence in the black eye case should have been investigated by police and not the Anti-Corruption Agency.

Mat Zain said the case was passed over to the ACA who investigated the case under Section 15 of the ACA Act. He said the section of the law used for investigation was not related to giving or fabricating false statements as was reported.

The case should have been probed under Section 193 of the Penal Code which is the law needed to investigate this type of allegations. Mat Zain said the ideal body to investigate the case was the police and not the ACA.

The black eye incident hit the limelight when Anwar attended court on September 29, 2008 with his eye bruised after being assaulted by the then IGP Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor. Anwar accused Abdul Gani and then Assistant Commissioner Musa Hassan of fabricating evidence against him during his trial.

He made reference to the medical report which claimed that Anwar had punched himself while in police custody. Anwar's allegations were supported by an open letter which Mat Zain wrote to former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

Mat Zain was the chief investigating officer who handled the probe into the fabrication of evidence in Anwar's black eye case.

On July 1, 2008, Anwar lodged a police report claiming that Musa and Abdul Gani had fabricated evidence and hidden facts in the investigation into the physical assault on him by Abdul Rahim.