August 7, 2012
MACC’s Independence and Transparency Defended
by http://www.malaysiakini.com
Despite lingering questions over the independence and transparency of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigations, the panel has defended its probe against attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail following allegations of abuse of power and alleged graft over the Ho Hup Construction Bhd affair.
MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner Mohd Shukri Abdull (left) said the anti-graft body had once formed a three-member panel to probe the AG over Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye-incident.
Shukri also said the commission’s Operations Review Panel, which reviews all cases investigated by the graft body, is also stern in giving its views and its members are independent.
“The members are people who have their own expertise in auditing, forensics, business and others. There are cases which have been closed, where the panel has asked them to be reopened. This led to the prosecutors making a decision to prosecute the accused. Hence, there is an element of check and balance there,” he told Malaysiakini.
Shukri, however, admitted that the final decision may lie with the Attorney-General or any Deputy Public Prosecutor as stated in the Constitution. The MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner was asked to comment further on whether the Operations Review Panel has the powers or rights to adjudicate or decide on the conduct of a sitting A-G as stated in Article 145 (6) and Article 125 of the Federal Constitution.
Under the Constitution, a tribunal can be called against a sitting judge or the A-G. Yesterday Shukri said that no cases had been swept under the carpet.
It was reported that former Ho Hup Managing Director Low Tuck Choy had complained about the seeming lack of progress in MACC’s investigations into Abdul Gani’s alleged abuse of power and graft when he allegedly interfered in the company’s boardroom tussle.
Gani said to favour Lye
Gani is said to have favoured the company’s former Executive Deputy Chairperson Vincent Lye, who hails from Sabah, and in return is alleged to have received RM18,000 for the renovation of a bungalow in Seremban.
While Low has been charged with four counts of failing to notify the changes in his interest in the company within seven days and his wife has also been investigated, no charges have been imposed on Lye.
It was also reported that the three-member panel chaired by Federal Court judge Abdul Kadir Sulaiman and comprising Court of Appeal judges Mohd Nor Abdullah and Mohd Nor Ahmad, had in 2009 in a majority decision cleared Gani and former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan of allegations of tampering with Anwar’s blood sample.
Abdul Kadir, who is the senior most panel member, was the dissenting member of the panel who found there was a case to answer by the two (Gani and Musa).
Anwar had lodged a Police report in 2008 accusing Musa and Gani, along with Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof and former Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Mat Zain Ibrahim of tampering with evidence.
While Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz had said Musa and Gani had been cleared, he had however kept mum on Dr Abdul Rahman and Mat Zain.
This resulted in Mat Zain going on a crusade to clear his name as he stated that it was Gani who may have landed former Attorney-General Mohtar Abdullah in a sticky situation by appointing Dr Rahman, whereas the Police had appointed its own doctors.
“Shukri said that no cases had been swept under the carpet”.–malaysiakini.
Do you believe this Shukri fella? What about the three officers relating to the Teoh Beng Hock’s death? What about Ahmad Sarbani? Why was the TDC Director charged and not the then Minister of Tourism, Dato Seri Azalina Othman Said or her predecessor, Tengku Adnan, now UMNO Secretary-General. I am sure that more cases that have been NFA’ed. Tak cukup bukti yang lengkap is the standard answer. I know for a fact that the MACC SOP does not to investigate Government ministers.
Recently, I told one of panel members–a respected forensic audit specialist previously with KPMG and the United Nations oversight team in Iraq– who I met at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club with former Ho Hup vice chairman Vincent Lye that the MACC should be transparent and should show us the public that it is truly independent. MACC should communicate with the public.
Right now, the MACC has serious credibility problems. The public perception is that the MACC practises selection prosecution ; and it is toothless and is being used as a tool of the ruling regime to hound opposition politicians and catch small fish and prawns.–Din Merican
Pakatan leaders should come out and state clearly it’s policy mandate that ifmitmwins Govt, it would make its priority to revamp and reconstitute this institution and it’s makeup …. and if necessary to disband and replace one that is truly accountable to Parliament, and transparently accountable to the rakyat.
This is a sure fire vote-getter election mandate.
…and oh, the current AG will first be sacked, then arrested, face a kangaroo court and, if found guilty, take the Communist China route of dispensing justice. He should get his own medicine back.
They put Azalina anak Pak Othman together with Tengku Adnan under the carpet?? I thought Azalina is a lesbian? Who’s the dyke and who is the hoe? Semper fi?
“…and oh, the current AG will first be sacked, then arrested, face a kangaroo court and, if found guilty, take the Communist China route of dispensing justice. He should get his own medicine back” — ol’ frank
Frank, I told our Dato a few threads earlier that it is his right to dream. Now I’m telling you. You can dream and at the same time pee on your own leg and convince yourself it is raining. You might end up believing it is raining. Try and let us know.
“MACC should be transparent and should show us the public that it is truly independent. MACC should communicate with the public.” Dato Din Merican
You can’t be serious Dato ! It is like asking Najib Razak what would he do without Rosmah Mansor. What kind of answer do you expect to get??
I agree with Frank, the PR leadership should lay out their plan clearly on how they intend to reform the many institutions of governance, like the MACC, police ,judiciary, etc, to make them more independent and transparent.
You can dream and at the same time pee on your own leg- Mr Bean
I can’t dream and pee at my leg at the same time. I tried and failed. Please advise how it is done.
Who’s the dyke and who is the hoe? as in benteng and cangkul? JAWI will have a field day with the LBGT group Bean. They’d go around Parliament asking all and sundry”dah kahwin ke belum” Kalau belum mesti gay, kalau dah kahwin mesti bi. Best answer is “ask my OWC” That’ll shut them up. They don’t know how to handle the “OWC”
MACC means ‘Malaysians Are Conned Constantly” What the bullshit is he trying to tell the public. IF someone defame you, you should take him/her to court, more so if u are someone as important as the AG of the c’try. Why is there no defamation suit on this RM18,000 renovation corruption issue? Silence means guilty?
It doesn’t take a year for the MACC to convene an internal inquiry based on the recommendations of the Teoh Beng Hock RCI and to take actions against its three officers! This alone has proven it is biased and protect wrongdoers including those from their own team!
In the meantime, how many of their officers are still abusing their power and positions and how many still surfing the internet for pornography and x-rated sites while ordinary Malaysians suffer in their hands!
And today alone I passed 3 roadblocks of the “lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu” type at the road from Balik Pulau to Paya Terubong, one at Tanjong Tokong towards Batu Ferringhi and the third is two motorcycle-riding policemen stopping vehicles at random along Batu Ferringhi near Mount Erskine junctions.
How can Malaysians ever respect these uniformed personnel? I used to feel proud delivering korma dates from Tunisia to the local balai plus some cartons of Yeo’s Soya Bean tetrapaks but I still continue to do so this Ramadhan because I believe not all of them are bad.
Why can’t MACC do something about this!?
“They’d go around Parliament asking all and sundry”dah kahwin ke belum” Kalau belum mesti gay, kalau dah kahwin mesti bi.” — semper fi
What will it take to educate these retards with salt and pepper beards that you do not have to get married to have sex?
The Obedient Wives Club?? That woman says it all. Their members must learn how to be the best prostitute in the world. Coming from the chairperson of the OWC, that is an insult to the oldest profession in the world. Malaysian friends that I know say everytime they meet up with their Ashley Alexendra Dupre they say they can’t get it up because they can’t get rid of that OWC ugly woman’s face when she made that remark!