IGP: Cops never received money from hostages' kin

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Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar has denied that police Special Branch personnel received money collected for ransom from the families of the recently freed Sarawakian hostages.

"We have nothing to do with the money, where it was channelled to, though I think the family knows where it was channelled to," he said in a live video feed of his press conference in Putrajaya today.

In the video, which was uploaded onto China Press' Facebook page, Khalid also said the police had nothing to do with any ransom payment.

"Of course yes!" said Khalid, when he was asked specifically if he was denying that the Special Branch received the money.

Asked again about the family's statement that Special Branch personnel received the money collected for the victims' ransom, he said those were claims made by the family, which he was denying.

"That's what the family says, a lot of other agents and third parties were involved in this, who knows if some may have used the name of Special Branch and the police.

"I stress again that we never gave any cooperation in the payment of any ransom," he said.

Third party agents

The IGP added that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was referring to a third party agent when the home minister said the RM12 million collected for ransom went to Islamic organisations in the Philippines.

He said various third parties and supposed agents of the kidnappers had approached the hostages' family, claiming to be able to assist in the four's release and help deliver the ransom.

Khalid revealed that the family members even went to Zambaonga City in the Philippines to meet and negotiate with representatives of the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

Although the police helped secure the family's safe passage and security, they were never involved, he said.

He added that police could not stop family members from negotiating or paying ransom themselves, if they chose to do so.

Khalid also blamed political parties for publicising the amount of money raised for the ransom.

'Kidnappers monitor media'

He said it gave the kidnappers greater leverage and power to demand more money, as they knew just how much the family had received in donations.

He also blamed the media for helping to disseminate the political parties' announcements.

The kidnappers watched and monitor the media as well, he said.

The four Sarawakian hostages were released last Wednesday following their kidnap by the Abu Sayyaf militant near Pulau Ligitan, Semporna, Sabah on April 1.

The four were brothers Wong Teck Kang, 31, and Wong Teck Chii, 29, their cousin, Johny Lau Jung Hien, 21, and tugboat crew member Wong Hung Sing, 34. - Mkini