The Malaysian Insight

AN aide to the Selangor menteri besar spent five hours answering five questions, of which only one was directly related to the probe into Universiti Selangor (Unisel), at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya today.

“They asked if I knew anything about the Unisel-Jana Niaga Sdn Bhd case before it emerged in the news recently. I didn’t,” said Yin Shao Loong.

He said an MACC officer asked him why he had tweeted about being summoned, and told him that the higher-ups in the commission were not happy about it.

“The higher-ups were upset that I tweeted about going there. If all is above board, then why ‘terasa’ (offended)?”

Yin said he was held for questioning even after it was clear that he knew nothing about offences under the MACC Act.

“I conclude that it was a form of harassment, despite the MACC chief saying he wasn’t harassing Selangor.

“As per my statement calling for full cooperation with their investigation, I cooperated.

“Five hours for five questions and a five-page statement. This is why it feels like harassment.”

He said the other questions posed to him included why he had issued a statement on the MACC probe and whether he was authorised to issue a media statement under his name.

MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad, two days ago, had denied harassing or intimidating Selangor.

He said the anti-graft body was the one likely to be criticised by various quarters in carrying out its duties.

“I would like to ask him (Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali), who receives most of the brickbats, more often than not? Is it the state government or MACC? Most of the time, it is MACC that receives the criticism.

“So, his allegations (that MACC is harassing the state) are untrue.”

Dzulkifli was responding to claims by Azmin on Saturday that harassment and intimidation against Selangor would continue until the next general election, and that it was out of jealousy over the state’s achievements.

Azmin made the remarks following MACC’s raids on and probes into Unisel and Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) over allegations of corruption and power abuse, involving RM16 million.

Dzulkifli stressed that the commission had only retrieved documents to facilitate its investigation, and that it was not interfering with the state’s affairs.

“We only went there to collect documents.”

On August 22, MACC, acting on a report lodged against MBI and private firm Jana Niaga over alleged corrupt practices, had raided the two organisations, as well as Unisel.

The Sun reported that MBI had allegedly paid RM16 million to Jana Niaga, the company tasked with maintaining state-owned Unisel’s student hostels, in two payments in 2015 and last year, despite losing the contract in 2013. – August 29, 2017.