KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Daim Zainuddin’s legal counsel has taken the police to task for allegedly failing to investigate the prime minister following a Bloomberg report claiming political intervention in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) probe into the former finance minister and his wife.
Daim’s lawyers, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh, questioned the police’s apparent lack of action towards Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, despite a police report on the matter filed by Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid on behalf of Daim.
“Clearly, there is no investigation commenced against (Anwar) for suspected abuse of power as disclosed in the Bloomberg article.
“Instead, the investigation is against Bloomberg and its journalists who broke a story about abuse of power in the highest halls of power in Malaysia,” the lawyers said in a statement today.
They also noted that Daim’s report is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for making statements with intent to cause public disorder.
Claiming that this is a similar tactic used by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak when the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal was exposed by the Wall Street Journal, the lawyers stated that such acts are “not only shameful and unacceptable, but also illegal.”
“The police are governed by the Police Act 1967 and are strictly enjoined to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour. They must investigate every report fairly and independently.
“They must be impartial and act fearlessly, even if the subject of the investigation is the prime minister himself,” they added.
They also demanded that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain explain the “failure” to open investigations into Bloomberg’s allegations, cautioning that continued delay in opening such a probe will be a “mockery of our criminal justice system and the rule of law.”
Previously, after being questioned by police for two hours, Na’imah had called on authorities to similarly summon Anwar for his statement over allegations of power abuse detailed in Bloomberg’s report.
Rajesh had also called for a special multi-agency task force to investigate the allegations in Bloomberg’s report.
Earlier today, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa confirmed that Bloomberg representatives would be summoned by the police for their statements, following a complaint lodged by the MACC against remarks made by former Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil.
Isham, who is being investigated for suspected criminal defamation, was questioned by the police yesterday over his social media post urging Anwar to take action against Bloomberg for its article.
On September 26, Bloomberg published an article quoting sources who claimed that the MACC had been investigating Anwar’s “adversaries” while not probing the “share purchases by one of the prime minister’s allies.”
The US-based media company named former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Daim, as well as their family members, as among those the MACC was investigating, supposedly at Anwar’s behest.
Bloomberg also included the MACC’s response to its request for comments in its article. In its response, the anti-graft agency said it firmly refutes claims regarding any instructions from the prime minister influencing or obstructing specific investigations.
The Prime Minister’s Office has also denied the claims published in the report. – October 9, 2024