LETTER | EAIC not competent to investigate ex-IGP's allegations

LETTER | The current Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that the police had sent a letter to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) inviting the oversight body to investigate claims of serious police misconduct exposed by the former IGP Abdul Hamid Bador Bador just before he retired.

So the police, in this case, do not want to investigate the police. Well, that's good.

But what's not is that it is not for the police to decide who should investigate the police. This is because the police are an interested party. You don't let an interested party decide who should investigate it like how you don't allow parties in a court case to decide on the judge that should hear their case.

Further, what is EAIC's track record as an investigative body? Has any independent party or researcher done an evaluation of the EAIC's investigations since it was set up? 

For one thing, has it got very senior, very experienced, very brave and very inquisitively-minded officers to investigate hardened civil servants who through years of practice know all the tricks of the trade (of misbehaviour and corrupt practices) to hide their tracks?

The allegations made by the previous IGP just before he retired are very serious. They are against his own police officers and even against the minister of home affairs.

If the government is concerned about the exposé of Hamid Bador and sincere in wanting to clean up the police force, then it must take the bull by the horns and appoint a royal commission of inquiry.

Alternatively, Hamid Bador should be charged in court for making "seditious statements", defaming the police or on some other charges so that he can give the details of the charges he had made in general. 

The police can then answer him. This way, the public will get to know what he meant by "police cartel" or how corruption in the force went from the bottom to the very top because those at the top "wanted it".

My opinion is that the EAIC is not competent to investigate a case of such magnitude and importance involving people who know all the tricks of the trade. 

A royal commission should be appointed and the minister of home affairs who was implicated by Hamid Bador as interfering with police administration should not be involved in any decision-making on the appointment of a royal commission.

The government must have the political will not to keep on bowing to police objections to the setting up of the IPCMC that was recommended by a royal commission 15 years ago. 

Not setting it up has "given face" to the bad apples in the force and brought disrepute to it. Why is the government unwilling to set up the IPCMC? That reflects a very weak government.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.