Daim’s lawyers slam ‘sham’ probe against Bloomberg, journalists

Lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh said police should immediately investigate the alleged interference in the MACC probe against Daim Zainuddin and his wife.

PETALING JAYA: Lawyers representing Daim Zainuddin have slammed the police for “failing” to investigate the prime minister over a Bloomberg report alleging political intervention in a case against the former finance minister and his wife, Naimah Khalid.

Last week, Naimah filed a police report over the Bloomberg article about the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigations into her husband’s affairs.

Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh said they were informed by the investigating officer that the case is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.

Section 233 of the CMA is for misuse of network facilities, while Section 505(b) of the Penal Code is for making statements with intent to cause public disorder.

“This sham of an investigation by the police to divert the matter by investigating the journalists, instead of investigating the alleged crime itself, is not only shameful and unacceptable, but also illegal.

“Instead, the investigation is (being carried) against Bloomberg news and the journalists who have broken a story about abuse of power in the highest halls of power in Malaysia,” the lawyers said in a statement.

They claimed that this is a similar tactic used by former Prime Minister Najib Razak when the 1MDB scandal was exposed by the Wall Street Journal.

“We demand firstly that Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain explain the failure to open an investigation into the allegation of abuse of power involving the prime minister disclosed in the Bloomberg article.

“Secondly (we demand) that such an investigation be immediately opened. Failure to do so will be a mockery of our criminal justice system and the rule of law,” they said.

Rajesh and Sachpreetraj said the police are governed by the Police Act 1967 and are required to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.

“They must investigate every report fairly and independently. They must be impartial and act fearlessly even if the subject of the investigation is the prime minister himself,” they said.

Naimah had called on the authorities to set up a task force to investigate the case after she spent two hours at the Sentul police station providing her statement.

Citing sources, Bloomberg reported that MACC chief Azam Baki told agency officials that instructions to investigate Daim, as well as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his sons, had come from the prime minister himself.