MORE PICS & Video-RM27M Chief CCID Prosecuted Before Investigated –Assets Not declared; Till Sep 06, Cleared Corrupt Charges Promoted 3-STAR General

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UPDATE: 31^st Oct 2007; 1.05am

ABOVE & BELOW: He was particularly miffed how the probe details were leaked to NST & Berita Harian from ACA source

October 30, 2007 22:31 PM

I Am The Officer Being Investigated By ACA," Says CCID Chief

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) Director Datuk Ramli Yusof has confirmed that he is the police officer being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for allegedly having RM27 million in undeclared assets. He told a press conference at his office here today that he had declared his assets to the ACA investigators but denied he owned assets worth RM27 million. He said that he had also provided the ACA an explanation about land alleged to belong to him in Sabah. "A company owned by me and a former senior military officer applied for the land belonging to the government. It is not yet ours," he said, adding that he had the permission of former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Bakri Omar to own shares and become a director in the company.

Ramli also voiced his disappointment that this investigation was reported widely through the media, although it was wrong to do so when it concerned a public official. "It violates Section 21 (4) of the Anti-Corruption Act where matters like this should not be leaked out. This is not fair to me," he said.

Meanwhile, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail (ABOVE) confirmed that the ACA had completed its investigations on a senior police officer alleged to not have declared assets worth millions of ringgit. He said the ACA had handed over the investigation papers to his office and that he was going through them with his officers.

"I am satisfied with the investigation papers submitted by the ACA and there is no need for the department to probe further on the case," he told reporters after launching a book written by the Member of Parliament for Kota Baharu, Datuk Mohamad Zaid Ibrahim, here today. Abdul Gani, however, declined to comment on whether the senior police officer would be charged in court soon. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan did not want to comment on the ACA investigation. "I can't comment anything on this matter. It involves the authority of a different agency," he said when approached by reporters after the two-day 14th Malaysian Law Conference ended here today

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Malaysiakini suffered the ignominy today of being chased out from the Press Conference called by the Chief of CCID to vent out his anger at PDRM. Yet it covers the story under
Ramli: There's a disturbance in the force

Commercial crime chief: I’m RM27 mil man

with a Malaysiakini.tv on RM27 mil man kicks-out Malaysiakini
and backup by PPP with a Video Clip of Ramli Yusuff (3 m 28 s, see Below) & a quick response from IGP Musa Hassan - "no rift"

For last three months he suffered the feeling of being prosecuted before being properly investigated. He was alleged to have failed to declare the assets under Section 32 1 a and he claimed the offense is actually under Section 12. The new papers have the stories on him as the RM27 million cop who failed to declare his assets and none of them actually check with him to clarify. This he mentioned is most unfair as he has a family and has feelings.
Until Sep 2006, he was cleared off all corrupt charges and that was why he was promoted to a 3-star General. Patiently he is waiting to be interviewed by BPR.

The IGP response is that there are only differences of opinions (Do you consider that a rift? he asked) and the police force is not divided into 2 camps as suggested by the former IGP As the 1st batch grandaunt of IIU (internal Islamic University) he has to maintain high standards on corruption & integrity and whatever.
= = =from theSUN

'RM27mil cop' speaks up; Charles Ramendran; theSUN

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30, 2007): "I am the RM27 million police officer mentioned by the media," declared Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes director Datuk Ramli Yusof today, but he was quick to add that the figure is inaccurate. "Even before the investigations commenced, I was already in the news – being persecuted. It’s not fair to me." Stating that he made an official declaration to the Anti-Corruption Agency, he said: "My income as a police officer of nearly 38 years’ service exceeds my assets. If I had made a false declaration, it is an offence and is up to the ACA but to say I have such assets. The declaration I made is supposed to be between me and the ACA and the law requires it to be kept confidential but I do not know how such information was leaked to the media," he told a press conference in Bukit Perdana (BELOW). Ramli also said he was accused of being an "enforcer and Godfather" of a company in Sabah and was a director and shareholder.

ABOVE: The press briefing was conducted at Bukit Perdana

Ramli, who said he was directed by deputy internal security minister Datuk Johari Baharom to investigate Ah Longs which led to the banishment of a gambling kingpin. He made a scathing attack on the ACA, charging that their actions have resulted in danger to the intelligence gathering ability of the police force and its ability to protect its informants. Saying that police informants, who provided valuable information on the activities of Ah Long and gambling syndicates have been compromised by these actions, Ramli alleged that his officers had been mistreated by the agency and are "yet to be protected by their own force". "Two days ago, the PM has indicated that we have to protect the whistleblowers or the police informers. We the police force must protect our informers. That’s my stand," he added. Over the past few weeks, several officers from the Commercial Crime Department have been charged with falsifying documents. Their cases are pending, but in a three-page statement, Ramli made a number of serious allegations, including:

* the police force had failed to stand by him and his officers during the ACA investigation;
* files containing confidential information were directed to be handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chamber;
* the ACA tracked and recorded statements from police informants;
* the informants’ cover had been blown with the ACA naming them in charges preferred against his officers;
* the identities of the informants were obtained by circumventing the IGP’s Standing Orders; and
* he and his officers were directed to prepare their own affidavits-in-reply to an application to set aside an order banishing one Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku, which he claimed was unprecedented.

When asked about his relationship with the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan, he said: "Very good, very cordial. I have no problem with him. I have been working with him for many years together. There is no question of having any problem with him. We respect each other."

Musa when met later declined comment saying that he was unaware of the press conference. When asked about Ramli’s claims, he said: "Don’t ask me. You have to ask the ACA." Asked if there was a rift among the top brass in the force, Musa responded: "If there was a difference in opinion, could you consider that a rift? There is no rift."

= == = =and from STS

M'sian top cop denies any wrongdoing

By Carolyn Hong, Malaysian Correspondent
A SIMMERING power struggle in the police force burst into the open on Tuesday when a top officer, who is accused of amassing assets of RM27 million (S$11.7 million), turned the tables on his accusers. Datuk Ramli Yusof, director of the Commercial Crimes Investigation Department, claimed that investigations into his affairs began after his division went after one Mr Goh Cheng Poh whom he alleged had links with the Johor underworld.

"I have been suffering for the past three months," he said, while denying that he did anything wrong. This explosive episode comes at a time when the government is struggling to contain scandals within the judiciary, and as police struggles to regain integrity even as crime creeps up relentlessly. The deep rift in the police force has long been an open secret, fuelled by a stream of allegations of corruption against both sides appearing anonymously on the Internet.

"Whom can we believe when one group is headed by the IGP (Inspector-General of Police) and the other by a police director backed by the Deputy Minister of Internal Security?" former police chief Tun Hanif Omar wrote in his column in The Star in August. He said this resulted in one group arresting alleged kingpins, and the other group going after the arresting officers in the belief that the first group was eliminating the informants of the second group. IGP Musa Hassan refused comment on Tuesday except to say that there was no rift, while Datuk Ramli also claimed to be on cordial terms with Tan Sri Musa. But clearly, animosity permeates the police ranks.

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Ramli: Disturbing events in the force

Oct 30, 07 3:26pm
The following is the full three-page press statement released by Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Ramli Yusuff today.
I have until today remained silent about developments in the police force, in particular, the arrest and prosecution of officers of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) who are alleged to have falsified statements of confidential informants in connection with the banishment of one Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku.
Sometime last year, a joint committee and a special task force were established at the cabinet level and PDRM (Malay acronym for the Royal Malaysian Police) respectively to combat the worrisome menace of Ah Long (loan sharks) activities and illegal gambling.
In March 2007, the deputy minister of internal security (Mohd Johari Baharum) gave specific directives to the CCID on the activities of certain crime syndicates operating in Johor involving certain Datos and JPs (both are honorific titles).
The investigations by the CCID led to the eventual detention and banishment of the said Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku to Jeli, Kelantan. The detention and banishment order was made under the hand of the deputy minister of internal security, based on the intelligence gathered by police officers of the CCID.
(The person being banished) Goh is on his own confession a person of questionable background, having been banished previously and who was involved in a shooting incident in which a friend of his was shot and murdered. The merits of his banishment are a matter which is within the subjective purview and prerogative of the deputy minister of internal security and, consequently, I am not at liberty to comment.
Soon after the banishment order was made by the deputy minister of internal security, the press reported that both the ACA (Anti-Corruption Agency) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID – another police department) had already investigated and cleared Goh of any wrongdoing.
This certainly did not include the subject matter of the CCID’s investigations into Goh's affairs as directed by the deputy minister of internal security. In the aftermath of these newspaper reports, Goh applied to the High Court to set aside the banishment order made against him by the deputy minister of internal security.
AG's unprecedented stance
In an unprecedented stance, the legal adviser of the Ministry of Internal Security, an officer of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, declined to advise and direct my officers and I (to) prepare affidavits of the events surrounding the preparation of the investigative papers on Goh for the benefit of the deputy minister of internal security.
Those affidavits were to be filed in the High Court arising from the application by Goh to have his banishment order set aside. Given the constraints of time, we, the officers of the CCID, sought legal advice from a private law practice who advised and assisted in the preparation of the draft affidavits concerned. was under advice at the time that the attorney-general (Abdul Gani Patail) was under a duty to advise and assist us in the preparation of the said affidavits under Article 145 of the Federal Constitution and the Government Proceedings Act, 1956.
My officers and I were then directed to deliver up the confidential case files containing the names of the confidential informants to the Attorney-General's Chambers. I have since been aware that officers of the ACA have tracked down these informants and taken statements from them. Subsequently, these informants have made further statements in connection with their seeking (of) protection from the deputy minister of internal security.

During the course of these events, the press began widely reporting the involvement of a Sr. (senior) police officer for the following:

1. Investigation by ACA into the unexplained accumulation of wealth alleged to be RM27 million;
2. Investigation by the ACA of the said senior police officer taking on the role of an "enforcer/godfather” of a company in Sabah and being its shareholder/director without departmental clearance; and

3. Investigation for the abuse of powers by the CCID in the crime preventive action concerning the detention and banishment of the aforesaid Goh.
Although the name of the officer was not disclosed, it is a public knowledge that I was the officer referred to in these widely sensationalised news.
I understand that one Sok One a/l (anak lelaki) Esen, an ACA officer, has sworn and filed an affidavit in the proceedings brought by Goh to have his banishment order set aside. In that affidavit, Sok One confirmed that the ACA was investigating the CCID in connection with Goh’s allegations of CCID officers having abused their powers.
My lawyer arrested
On the eve of Hari Raya, one of my longstanding friends who also acted as my legal adviser was arrested and charged for the alleged failure to comply with a notice served on him at the behest of the ACA.
One of the officers present at the time of his arrest and detention was the said Sok One. He was also one of the lawyers who assisted in the preparation of the affidavits of CCID officers filed in the proceedings in connection with the Goh case.
Within the week, several officers of the CCID were arrested and charged in court for allegedly falsifying evidence concerning the banishment of Goh. In the charge sheets, the names of the confidential informants have been disclosed.
I am gravely concerned by the manner in which the identities of police informants are dealt with in investigations carried out by the ACA. The identities of the informants were obtained through the circumvention of the Inspector General's Standing Orders. Given these events, there exists a clear and present danger as to the intelligence gathering ability of the police force and its ability to protect its informants.
These are disturbing events and will undeniably have a deep impact, not only on the CCID but the police force as a whole. The officers of the CCID have been mistreated by the ACA and are yet to be protected by their own force.
I will be departing for my umrah (minor haj) and in my absence, I hope these issues will be dealt with by the Ministry of Internal Security

= = =Watch the Video Clip 3min 24 s TOP COP RAMLI Complains with IGP Comments

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Update from Nazri

Zaki's appointment above board, says Nazri

B. Suresh Ram; theSUN

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30, 2007): Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz says the elevation of Umno member and party legal adviser Tan Sri Zaki Azmi to the Federal Court Bench did not mean the independence of the judiciary was compromised. "The appointment followed and satisfied the provisions contained in Article 123 of the Federal Constitution. He (Zaki) was not active as party member or an elected member. He was merely involved in hearing the disciplinary cases of party members," he said. Replying to points raised by MPs in their debate at the policy stage of Budget 2008 in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) today, Nazri also defended the formation and the task undertaken by the three-man panel headed by Tan Sri Mohd Haidar Noor to look into the authenticity of the V.K. Lingam video tape.
He stressed that there is a need by the panel and associated agencies to ensure the authenticity of the video clip and the related grievances of the complainants. He said if the authenticity of the tape is verified, then he personally believed that if the need arises, the government will look into the possibility of setting up Royal Commission to further probe the contents of the tape.
Nazri added that the panel is capable of its responsibility as its members are of high standing but admitted that thus far no one had come forward before the panel. "That is why the panel and I pleaded for them to come forward. Why do they not come forward? Come forward and help," he said. Nazri added that to encourage the witnesses, the government even went to the extent of assuring protection on the personal safety of the witnesses.

He also said there is no truth that the government had given up efforts on its anti-corruption drive but rather the efforts taken have seen some positive results. "The latest statistics have shown that that the number of corruption cases investigated, corruption related arrests, and conviction rate of such cases has increased of late," he said. The number cases investigated by the Anti Corruption Agency is up two fold, from the 663 cases in 2001 to 1,317 cases last year. "The number of arrests is also up by 77% from the 318 in 2001 to 546 cases last year," he said.Nazri also said the conviction rate of corrupt cases had also improved from lower than 50% several years ago to 74% last year. "The fact is that record speaks for itself. The ACA is free to investigate without fear or favour on any quarters, irrespective of whether they are members of administration, Members of Parliament, private or public sector and even individuals," he added

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RM27M Cop – More Surprises; AG – Inestigations completed; Ramli – still on; Case of Too Many Assets & Shares & forgot to declare; Proxy war on?