The Malaysian Insight

POLICE’S investigation into prominent lawyer and social activist Ambiga Sreenevasan is needed as there are reports lodged on the matter, said Inspector-General of Police.

Mohamad Fuzi Harun, however, said police are yet to call Ambiga to record her statement. 

“We don’t want to comment on what Malaysian Bar said. There were two police reports lodged on this matter. 

“We are being blamed if we investigate and we are also blamed if we don’t investigate,” he told reporters at Special Action Force training centre in Cheras. 

The Malaysian Bar had said the investigation into Ambiga for “causing public harm” over a statement of defence in a defamation case filed in London may amount to contempt of the United Kingdom courts. 

The Bar also noted although several individuals had been named in the suit, Ambiga was being singled out. 

Fuzi said the allegation was serious as it involved a large amount of money. 

“Although the people who are linked are not in the country, we have to open an investigation paper on the matter,” he said.

Ambiga is being investigated by Malaysian police for allegedly providing information to Clare Rewcastle-Brown on senior PAS leaders having received large sums of money from Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is Umno president.

Rewcastle-Brown, editor of whistle-blower website Sarawak Report, had named Ambiga as her source of information for an article she published last year, alleging that PAS had received money in exchange for support for ruling coalition Barisan Nasional.

The UK-based editor is being sued by the Islamist party’s president, Abdul Hadi Awang, for defamation.

Police investigations here began after a report was lodged by Umno Grassroots Movement chairman Zulkarnain Mahdar at the Sri Petaling police station on November 1.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan said police had no legal basis to investigate Ambiga and it was “absurd” for police to carry out an investigation under Section 505(b) and Section 233 of the MCMC Act as this was a civil suit between two parties.  – November 11, 2017.