Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

(Petaling Jaya, Monday): MCA should direct one of its Deputy Minister to confirm whether his brother is one of the 3 triad kingpins released by the Internal Security Ministry and caught in the centre of "Money for Freedom" controversy of RM 5.5 million swirling around Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharom. Datuk Johari had indicated that he was willing to be investigated by ACA over what he termed as baseless allegations in a website that he received RM 5.5 million to released the 3 triad kingpins.

The posting on the Internet alleged that Johari had corruptly revoked preventive detention orders issued under the Emergency Ordinance(EO) on three men suspected of gangland activities including loan-sharking, extortion, prostitution, assault and illegal gambling. One of the three men released is alleged to be a brother of a MCA Deputy Minister. Since Datuk Johari has come out and admitted that he was the one targetted to have allegedly receive RM 5.5 million, the MCA Deputy Minister should follow Datuk Johari's example by coming forward to declare whether his brother is the one released and also his brother's involvement in this latest controversy. If MCA wants its wakil rakyats and leaders to be clean, then they must be open and accountable.

Datuk Johari had claimed that the trio were released after he had examined reports from the police and upon the advice of his legal officers.   Federal CID chief Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee confirmed the trio had been freed, although he declined to say whether their releases occurred at the time or in the circumstces alleged in the internet.

What is interesting is that Johari blamed the Advisory Board for releasing 31 out of 41 detainees last month and for placing the remaining 17 under restricted residence even though Johari had signed orders for the 48 to be held in custody. Johari also blamed the police for the delays in the submission of Emergency Ordinance(EO) files, resulting in some of them being sent back to Bukit Aman and that there were many cases where the police released Section 3(1) EO detainees without informing the ministry.

There must be a full independent inquiry into these serious allegations made by the Deputy Internal Security Minister against both the police and Advisory Board. Such allegations of abuse of power by Datuk Johari and must be fully investigated and action taken against those responsible to uphold the rule of law in Malaysia to prevent the practice of rule of law to be subverted easily by gangsters with money.