Anti-graft officers grill top cop's sisters

The Straits Times, November 1, 2007


KUALA LUMPUR - ANTI-GRAFT officials yesterday questioned the sisters of a top policeman who is being investigated for corruption and who claimed he is being set up by fellow officers.

Datuk Ramli Yusof's sisters, Rohmah and Rosila, met Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) officials even as de-facto law minister Nazri Aziz hit out at the Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief for speaking to the media about his troubles, The Sun newspaper reported.

No details were available on what the women were questioned about.

Datuk Ramli is alleged to have illegally amassed assets worth RM27 million (S$12 million). He said the accusation was being made by senior police officers out to get him.

He said they targeted him soon after he nabbed a man alleged to be a top gangster on orders from Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum.

Datuk Ramli's problems appear to be linked to a bitter power struggle between the deputy minister and police chief Musa Hassan.

The deep rift between the two sides has long been an open secret, with anonymous accusations of corruption and ties to gangsters traded on the Internet.

The Internal Security Ministry is in charge of the 90,000-strong police force.

The ministry is headed by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, but day-to-day operations are overseen by Datuk Johari and another deputy minister.

Datuk Seri Nazri said Datuk Ramli's allegations about his case were discussed by the Cabinet at its meeting yesterday.

'We feel that Datuk Ramli should defend himself in court and not give a press conference,' he told reporters.

Datuk Ramli shocked many people when he held a news conference on Tuesday to hit out at fellow senior officers and the ACA.

He also made another serious allegation - that the cover of police informants was blown after they were questioned by the ACA.

He also said the ACA ordered the arrest of his legal adviser, Mr Rosli Dahlan, a Singaporean with Malaysian permanent resident status. The latter was charged last month with failing to disclose his own assets.

And last week, four of Datuk Ramli's officers were charged with falsifying evidence in relation to the case of the alleged gangster.

BERNAMA, SIN CHEW DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK