The Malaysian Insight

THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission today warned Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh against issuing statements on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s remark on the illegal detention of the Penang executive councillor Phee Boon Poh.

MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad said Ramkarpal risks defaming the anti-graft body.

“Yesterday, Ramkarpal issued a press statement in his capacity as a member of parliament and not as Guan Eng’s lawyer and I went through it.

“So, I would like to advise Ramkarpal to be careful in making such a statement as it contains defamatory elements,” said Dzulkifli.

On Lim and the 48-hour demand for him to apologise, Dzulkifli said MACC will proceed to sue him.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s his second time making such a statement.”

He said MACC did not send Lim any letter to demand an apology as he made the statement openly to the media.

“Hence, we issued a media statement in return, asking him to withdraw it and apologise within 48 hours.”

Ramkarpal said yesterday Lim’s remarks on MACC’s “illegal detention” of Phee were justified.

He said it was “ill-advised” for MACC to give Lim 48 hours to apologise, “as there can be no doubt that the said statement was made having regard to the prevailing circumstances”.

“I can see no reason for the chief minister to respond to such a baseless ultimatum by MACC, although it is open for him to do so,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Ramkarpal said judicial commissioner Abdul Wahab Mohamed had set aside the five-day remand order against Phee, who was being probed for allegedly using his position for gratification, and two others linked to MACC’s investigation.

Wahab’s decision on August 14, which ruled that the detention of the trio was illegal since it was based on an invalid order, meant that MACC had detained them illegally after the first 24 hours of their initial arrest on August 11 had passed, Ramkarpal said.

“In the circumstances, there can be no doubt that the chief minister was justified in describing the said detention as illegal.

“Further, it is obvious that the chief minister was not saying that the arrest of the said trio was illegal since he did not use the words ‘penangkapan haram’.

“In other words, it is clear that the chief minister was referring to the continued detention of the said trio 24 hours after their arrest by MACC which was clearly based on an invalid order,” the Bukit Gelugor MP said.

Yesterday, MACC issued a statement demanding an apology from Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, for describing Phee’s detention as illegal. Lim’s remarks were reported in the New Straits Times. – August 27, 2017.