Speak up on ‘hidden’ SRC witnesses, DAP tells A-G, IGP

DAP legal bureau chief Gobind Sing Deo says allegations of efforts to hide the main witnesses involved in the investigation into SRC International must be taken seriously. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 24, 2015.

The attorney-general (A-G) and inspector-general of police (IGP) must speak up over allegations of efforts “by certain powers” to hide the main witnesses involved in the investigation into SRC International, DAP said today.

The party's legal bureau chief Gobind Sing Deo said suppressing or interfering with witnesses in a criminal investigation could amount to an offence under Section 186 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of two years or a maximum fine of RM10,000 or both.

He added that the allegations should be taken seriously as they were not made by an ordinary policeman, but a former Special Branch deputy director.

"We cannot allow allegations like these to remain. They go to the root of it all. Silence in the light of such serious allegations would lead to a serious loss of confidence in our criminal justice system. It also makes it look toothless and hopeless," Gobind said in a statement.

"There must therefore be a full and open investigation into this matter. We must find out who these 'certain powers' are and act against them if investigations reveal that they have offended the law.

"The A-G and IGP must therefore tell us what they propose to now do about it."

Yesterday, Datuk Abdul Hamid Bador said witnesses sought by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over its probe into SRC International were hiding abroad with the help of certain parties.

He did not name them, but said one of them was among the three men being sought by MACC: billionaire businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, former SRC International managing director Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil and director Datuk Suboh Md Yassin.

SRC International is now owned by the Finance Ministry, but was a subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd, a state investment firm that has amassed debts of RM42 billion.

At a breakfast session with the media yesterday, Hamid said one of the three had left Malaysia two months ago for Indonesia, before going to Thailand.

"It is understood that he is now in New Zealand," Hamid said.

He added that the help these witnesses were receiving from certain parties showed that there was interference in the work of enforcement agencies, appealing to Putrajaya to stop "invisible hands" from getting involved.

- TMI