A legal representative for businessperson Albert Tei has doubled down on calls for authorities to release video recordings documenting a raid on his client’s home in Puchong, Selangor, last month.
Taking aim at Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar’s recent claim that police have yet to find evidence of MACC officers pointing guns at Tei and his wife, Lee Pei Rie, during the raid, lawyer Mahajoth Singh said the ongoing dispute could be resolved by releasing the footage.
“This matter can be resolved swiftly and conclusively by simply releasing the footage to the Malaysian public, who are entitled to know what transpired during the raid.
“There is no legitimate justification for withholding the disclosure of the footage while simultaneously issuing public statements that cast doubt on the complaint,” Mahajoth said in a statement today.
He also slammed Shazeli’s Dec 15 remarks as “premature and unjustified”, noting that key witnesses of the raid, including Lee, her mother, and a domestic helper, only had their statements recorded yesterday.
“More importantly, during the questioning session yesterday, police officers showed still images extracted from body-worn cameras used by MACC officers during the raid. This is a critical confirmation (that) body-worn camera footage exists.
“Despite this, no body-worn camera footage was shown, neither to my client nor the family members, for reasons that remain unexplained,” Mahajoth lamented.
He stressed that the authorities’ continued refusal to disclose the recordings “serves no legitimate investigative purpose,” arguing that such adamance only serves to “undermine any claim to transparency”.
“Accordingly, there is no lawful basis to continue retaining the decoder seized from my client’s residence - it must be returned immediately. The CCTV recordings and body-worn camera footage (should also be) released without delay,” he added.
Raided in full tactical gear
During the Nov 28 raid on Tei’s home, a group of MACC operatives in full tactical gear - including bulletproof vests and balaclavas - had put Tei in handcuffs before escorting him into an unmarked black sedan.
Yesterday, Tei reiterated his call for authorities to release CCTV recordings of the raid while insisting that Shazeli’s remarks were “inconsistent with facts.”
On Dec 15, Shazeli reportedly said preliminary findings from statements recorded from MACC personnel involved in the raid did not indicate any evidence that guns were pointed at the couple.
He added that police had also obtained CCTV footage from the residence, as well as recordings of telephone conversations, which have been submitted to the forensics unit for further examination and analysis.
Lee previously raised concerns over the manner of the operation, claiming the raiding party barged into their home through the main door before several of them cuffed Tei.
She had also lodged a police report claiming that MACC officers pointed a gun at both of them during the raid.
Lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh, acting as counsel for Lee, had then demanded that MACC release the confiscated CCTV recordings, without altering their content.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki has since denied that his officers had pointed their weapons at Tei and his wife. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.