The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) said former inspector-general of police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador has lost his right to comment on the police cartel issue.
In a statement signed by EAIC commissioners, they said Hamid did not provide evidence to support his claims nor did he raise the issue of a cartel during his time as IGP.
“The EAIC Commissioners unanimously found that Hamid (above) has lost his right to make any comments on the cartel issue because in his statement to the EAIC, he did not provide any evidence to support his claim that there was a cartel in the Royal Malaysian (Police).
“He (also) did not name any officer involved in the cartel issue and admitted that as IGP, he had never raised the issue of this cartel in any meeting with the Board of Directors in the Bukit Aman police department,” the EAIC said in a statement today.
They added that Hamid had refused to clarify said issues.
They said this in response to Hamid’s claim that the EAIC’s finding on a police cartel was “shallow and incorrect”.
The EAIC statement was signed by its chairperson Sidek Hassan, deputy chairperson Zainun Ali, and commissioners Mahmood Adam, Aziah Ali, Alizatul Khair Osman, John Louis O’Hara, and Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod.
Questionable motives
Last week Sidek revealed there was no evidence of a ‘cartel’ among police ranks as alleged by Hamid.
Sidek added that the cartel’s existence could not be confirmed from the witness testimonies and documents the EAIC obtained.
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh pointed out that Hamid’s revelations must carry considerable weight as he was the serving IGP at the time he made such revelations.
However, the board of EAIC commissioners said the timing of Hamid’s allegations of the existence of a cartel coincided with the end of his tenure as IGP, raising questions about the motive of the disclosure.
They found that Hamid, during his time as IGP, did not take appropriate action despite knowing about the cartel issue since 2020.
“He had the time and authority to address the issue before disclosing it to the media.
“He (Hamid) as the IGP should have instructed the Bukit Aman Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (Jips) to conduct a detailed investigation, and appropriate action should have been taken before disclosing it to the media,” they said.
The commissioners added that the former IGP never raised the issue of a cartel during meetings with the police commission.
Hamid’s revelation
At his final press conference as IGP last March, Hamid alleged the existence of a “cartel” in the police force, whose ambition is to dominate the force for their own personal interests.
He said this group, which included high-ranking officers with connections to crime syndicates, also purportedly conspired to get rid of him as the IGP.
Hamid also alleged the cartel members include younger police personnel who colluded in attempts to remove him as part of a bigger plan to control the force for their personal benefits.
Apart from Hamid's disclosure, the police have also come under scrutiny following the emergence of Twitter account Edisi Siasat.
The account has presented alleged evidence of graft against top police and MACC officials.
In November 2021, Putrajaya dismissed Hamid's claim that a powerful “cartel of dirty cops” is causing problems to the police service. - Mkini
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