PARLIAMENT | An opposition MP has reiterated concerns about MACC’s alleged improper conduct during the recent arrest of businessperson Albert Tei, who has levelled corruption allegations against a slew of politicians.
Addressing the Dewan Rakyat today, Bersatu lawmaker Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) stressed that the credibility of enforcement officers is of utmost importance to ensure that laws are upheld in a just manner.
“We saw how enforcement officers raided the whistleblower Tei’s home, and it was said that six guns were pointed at him during the arrest, (which happened despite) a scheduled session with the MACC.
“Why did this happen? It raised many questions among the public… Is it because the MACC chief commissioner and the prime minister’s names were mentioned (in Tei’s allegations)?” Rosol (above) questioned.
The parliamentarian was speaking as part of his debate on recommendations by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform regarding the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
Rosol highlighted that while the incident involving Tei does not feature the use of the Act, the event has evoked doubts about the integrity of enforcement officers.
“If the integrity and honesty of enforcement are in doubt, how can the law be upheld fairly?
“A law that is sound and well-crafted still cannot be enforced credibly if the integrity of enforcement officers is in doubt,” he added.
Backlash over heavy-handed raid
Various quarters, including Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M), have since urged the government to investigate both the corruption allegations levelled by Tei and the manner in which MACC officers detained him at his home on Nov 28.
TI-M president Raymon Ram said the probe is crucial to ensure that neither corruption nor misconduct would be tolerated, calling for the investigation findings to be made public.
Former deputy law minister Hanipa Maidin had also criticised MACC’s full tactical gear raid on Tei’s residence, questioning if such “heavy-handed” tactics were necessary, especially after Tei’s lawyer had fixed a date for the businessperson to appear before the anti-graft body.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki had later denied claims that the anti-graft agency’s officers had pointed a weapon at Tei during his arrest.
Instead, he insisted that the arrest carried out by MACC officers at the businessperson’s residence today was conducted in accordance with established procedures.
Last month, Tei, who had been making exposés implicating several Sabah politicians in a mining license corruption scandal, implicated Azam in his allegations.
According to a video recording of Tei with a woman named Sofia Rini Buyong, the latter told the businessperson that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had given his blessings for the Sabah politicians to be secretly recorded.
She also claimed that Anwar’s former political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, had met with Azam at an undisclosed time to ask the MACC chief to “settle” the Sabah corruption case involving Tei, prompting calls for the national agency and Azam to be recused from the probe on Shamsul.
Azam told a press conference today that Tei and Shamsul will each face five charges under the MACC Act 2009 for giving and receiving bribes. - Mkini
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