Ramkarpal asks if EAIC took statement from ex-IGP

 

A DAP lawmaker today asked if the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) interviewed Abdul Hamid Bador before concluding that there is no “cartel” in the police force as alleged by the former top cop. 

In a statement, DAP Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said this is needed to inspire confidence in the investigation conducted by the commission.

“The findings of the EAIC that such a cartel cannot be confirmed to exist is at odds with Hamid’s stunning revelation in March last year and suggests that such investigations are incomplete,” he said. 

“The EAIC must indicate if it took a statement from the former inspector-general of police himself in its investigations into the former IGP’s claim that there exists a ‘cartel’ among police ranks.

“The effectiveness of the investigation of the EAIC is very much in the spotlight now as Hamid’s revelations must carry considerable weight as he was the serving IGP at the time he made such revelations.

“That being the case, he would surely have been privy to information leading to his belief that such a cartel exists,” said Ramkarpal.

“As such, I urge EAIC chairperson Mohd Sidek Hassan to disclose if a statement was taken from Hamid in the course of its investigations and if not, the reasons it was not,” he said. 

Yesterday, Sidek said in a statement that the EAIC found no evidence of a “cartel” among police ranks as alleged by Hamid.

EAIC chairperson Mohd Sidek Hassan

Sidek added that the cartel’s existence could not be confirmed from the witness testimonies and documents that the EAIC had obtained.

At his final press conference in March last year, then IGP 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, had 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.

“The question of whether statements were taken from independent parties is important as if this was not done, it cannot be said that the findings of the EAIC are impartial,” added Ramkarpal.

The EAIC should also reveal who were investigated and if these witnesses had an interest in the outcome of the investigations, said the DAP Legal Bureau chairperson. 

“It is important to note that the EAIC did not find that such a cartel does not exist, but merely that its existence cannot be confirmed,” he said. - Mkini