By Yow Hong Chieh
June 09, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Both the police and the national anti-graft agency must respond to claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin that police found no proof of unusual wealth in the assets of deceased Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, Lim Kit Siang said today.
The DAP parliamentary leader said the authorities should not wait for an inquest or a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to confirm or deny the allegations, especially as this was the second mysterious death under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) watch.
Raja Petra, in a post on his Malaysia Today website yesterday, claimed the police had conducted a thorough check on Sarbaini’s assets and found no unusual or extraordinary wealth.
“He (Sarbaini) had only three modest cars — a Perodua Kancil, a second-hand Honda CRV and a Proton Persona — and a Modenas Kriss bike, which he rode to the MACC office on that unfortunate morning of 6th April, the day of his death,” Raja Petra said yesterday.
“He owned an apartment in Bukit Tinggi, Klang (RM65,872), an apartment in Puncak Alam (RM68,988), a semi-D cluster house in Saujana Impian in Sungai Buloh (RM230,000) and RM35,000 in savings in Amanah Saham Bumiputera… All these were duly accounted for.”
Raja Petra has also accused MACC of trying to tarnish Sarbaini’s name following his death.
Lim also said today that the Inspector-General of Police and Attorney-General should reveal the police probe findings to Sarbaini’s family, who believe there is an attempt to cover-up circumstances surrounding Sarbaini’s death.
“Let the Sarbaini family decide whether they want an inquest or a royal commission of inquiry,” Lim said in a statement.
Sarbaini, 56, was found dead on the badminton court of the MACC building in Jalan Cochrane here on April 6 at about 10.20am, barely two hours after walking in.
His death, which occurred while the Teoh Beng Hock RCI was still ongoing, came as a huge blow to the anti-graft body’s already battered credibility.
Teoh, a DAP aide, fell to his death at the then-Selangor MACC office on July 16, 2009. An 18-month inquest returned an open verdict, ruling out both suicide and homicide in Teoh’s death.
The police have recommended an inquest be held for Sarbaini and the A-G has agreed but Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have criticised the idea, citing Teoh’s case as reason to back their doubts.
#1 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 12:21 pm
The only difference between TBH and Sarbaini is that TBH was not a suspect, whereas Sarbaini was arrested as suspect but now his lack of extraordinary wealth also shows suspicion was not reasonable. Sarbaini was one of 62 immigration officers arrested in a swoop. How many of the remaining 61 have since been released for lack of proof? The common factor between TBH & Sarbaini is that both are innocent and it is worrying the innocents are the ones found dead. Why? Because being innocent they could spill the beans on the guiilty? Are the guilty protected? These are the questions. As usual there’s stone walling. Is the Pakatan State Govt of Selangor engaging independent forensic expert like Dr Pornthip for Sarbaini as it has done for TBH? If not why not if both deserve justifce?
#2 by ktteokt on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 1:11 pm
MACC better be known as Malaysian Abattoir Committee & Council since it likes to KILL! Only in abattoirs do things alive come out DEAD!!!!
#3 by dagen on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 1:19 pm
Dead man tell no tales. So make dead man eat dead cat!
#4 by drngsc on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 2:11 pm
Looks like Sarbaini is clean.
With due respect to the late Mr Sarbaini, Is it fair to say that the only clean Custom’s officer, is a dead Custom’s officer?
We need to change the tenant at Putrajaya
#5 by dagen on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 6:03 pm
Kill the cancer cells to save the body. No No No. Kill the body to preserve the cancer cells. Hah. That is more like it.
Ni memang cara umno.
#6 by undertaker888 on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 7:06 pm
MACC – murders are common coincidences.
UMNO – undertable money no objection.
what a team. one takes money, the other commits murder to cover up.
#7 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 9 June 2011 - 10:15 pm
Why did the AG return the police’s investigation file THREE times? What did he want the Police to say and do?
What are MACC’s Oversight and Supervisory bodies stand on all these shenanigans?