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Datuk Ramli Yusoff, the Director of the Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID), is finally being charged.
And he is facing four ‘Mickey Mouse’ charges that would make even Walt Disney proud. (See: Ramli: Disturbing events in the force)
Ramli is being investigated for accumulating RM27 million in assets which he did not declare. He was then given a month to submit his full statement of income and expenditure over 37 years since 1970.
Roughing Up the Solicitor Instead
The ‘mistake’ Ramli made was that he engaged a solicitor (Rosli Dahlan) to draft the official reply to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).
The ACA then pounced on the SOLICITOR (Rosli Dahlan) and asked him to declare his assets as well.
The solicitor wrote back seeking further clarification but the ACA did not respond to the query.
When the deadline expired, the ACA came to the solicitor’s office two days before Hari Raya and arrested him for non-compliance to the order that he declare his assets.
The solicitor was roughed up and handcuffed in full view of the entire office as one would to a child rapist-killer. The ACA retorted that they are not obliged to reply to any query but those ordered to declare their assets are obligated to do so.
It was a beautiful trap and the solicitor walked right into it and got snared. Let this be a lesson to the rest of us. When the ACA keeps quiet then that is bad news, as this solicitor found out the hard way.
The solicitor tried to talk to the ACA officers to allow him time to volunteer his presence at the ACA office but he was told that he needed to be arrested there and then and be brought in immediately. The matter just cannot wait, Hari Raya or no Hari Raya.
On reaching the ACA office, the matter suddenly lost all urgency and the solicitor was locked up overnight in the lockup only to be attended to the following day. It appears like all they wanted to do was to lock him up for the night and not allow him to go home.
The next day, they charged him for non-compliance to the order to declare his assets. So it was not really that urgent after all and his arrest could have waited until the next day.
No, this particular solicitor made the mistake of acting on behalf of the Director of the CCID.Was the solicitor a government servant? Was he involved in corrupt practices? Had he received bribes for dishing out lucrative government contracts to Chinese businessmen? Was he on the payroll of the organised crime syndicates and had received millions as an inducement to turn a blind eye to the prostitution, loan sharking, drugs and illegal gambling rackets?
Okay, the Federal Constitution of Malaysia says that every citizen is entitled to legal representation. And Ramli, being a citizen of Malaysia, is also entitled to legal representation. But any solicitor who represents him runs the risk of arrest.
And this did happen to Rosli Dahlan who was stupid enough to think that it is the right of all Malaysians to defend themselves against criminal charges and who was stupid enough to actual act on behalf of Ramli.
Anyway, Rosli has since made a police report alleging that he was injured during his arrest.
He has also launched a civil suit against the ACA. The ACA responded by making a counter police report alleging that Rosli was abusive during his arrest and therefore the reason to rough him up and injure him. (This was the same reason given by one-time IGP Rahim Noor in explaining why he needed to beat Anwar Ibrahim to a pulp and leave him unconscious on the floor of the police lockup with no medical attention until the following day. )
Rosli’s case has been transferred to Bukit Aman where for sure this time they are going to nail his balls to the wall, side-by-side with Ramli’s balls.
NO Mention of RM 27 Million Charge
Is this matter really about whether Ramli is a crook? Time will of course tell whether he is and we shall all soon enough know once the trial gets underway.
Ramli was initially investigated for not declaring RM27 million in assets. The four charges that he faces, however, make NO mention of the RM27 million.
Instead, he is alleged to have failed to declare small change.
Somehow the press got wind of this figure so someone must have leaked it to the press. And it was certainly not Ramli because he had no inkling how this figure came about.What was all this RM27 million about then? Why was this figure bandied about
these last many months?And who leaked this figure?
We must therefore assume that it was the ‘other side’ that leaked it.
This one fact alone gives an impression that there is more than meets the eye here. This is NOT about a corrupted police officer.
If it was then Parliament would have to set up a special court like they did for the Rulers and about 50 new judges would have to be employed so that all the cases can be settled before all the judges, the accused, the AG and all witnesses die of old age.
Yes, that would be how many police officers who will be put on trial.
Anyway, as I said earlier, this is NOT about whether Ramli is innocent or guilty. We will allow the court to decide that, as I am sure they will dispense justice now that they will be having a new boss.
What we want to know is whether this is a simple and cut-and-dry case of corruption or failure to declare assets or is this actually fallout from a turf war in the police force with two sides fighting for control of the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business?
Since June this year, Malaysia Today has been saying that there are also serious problems in the police force.
One ex-IGP said, going just by their lifestyles alone, it can be assumed that 40% of the police force is corrupted. One ex-Deputy IGP, in turn, said that if they want to clean up the police force then at least 90% of the police officers will have to be sacked.
But will it be in the form of the Altantuya murder trail or in the form of the Anwar Ibrahim corruption-sodomy trial? -- if you know what I mean, and if you don’t then I will not waste any time explaining as this would mean you are living the life of a frog under a coconut shell.
Unfortunately, in Malaysia, a trial is not the correct reflection of guilt or innocence. The innocent can be sent to jail while the guilty walks free, even in cases such as murder.
And this is why we need massive judicial reforms and this is also why the people profusely oppose the extension of the tenure of the Chief Justice -- who according to the Rulers’ wishes should have retired yesterday.
I am prepared to bet ten jugs of beer that this is not about cleaning out the police force or about eradicating corruption but is in actual fact a turf war to control the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business.
And I further bet that no one will dare take my bet. Yes, there is more than meets the eye. There is a sleight of hand which even the great David Copperfield would find awesome.
So stay tuned as there is more, much more, to come.
-Raja Petra Kamarudin
COMMENTARY
"... Lately, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has been busy prosecuting civil servants mentioned in the recent auditor-general's report for corruption.
It becomes glaringly obvious that ACA has NO hesitation when it comes to arresting and prosecuting civil servants but are RELUCTANT to haul in POLITICIANS who are similarly tainted with
corruption.
Prosecution and punishment appears to be swift and efficient for civil servants and the police force but when it comes to politicians like Zakaria Deros from Port Klang and Mohd Said Yusof, the ‘close one eye' Jasin MP from Malacca, the wheels of justice seemingly grinds to a halt.
In our country, it appears some people are more equal than others in the eyes of the law.
And POLITICIANS here are a special breed of men who seems to have immunity from any prosecution despite their public commission of a felony.
Those people entrusted with the duty to enforce and prosecute the perpetrators have a latent fear of POLITICIANS who perhaps have the clout to punish any ACA officers foolish enough to try and bring them to book.
With the revelation of the controversial Lingam tape, we now witness corruption within the corridors of the judiciary. Appointments and promotion are designed for those who toe the line and are compliant to their political masters.
Judicial decisions affecting the interest of the government and its cronies are not won or lost on the merits of facts and law but on the basis of a prearranged slotting of a friendly judge who would ensure a favourable judicial decision on the understanding that they would be rewarded with a promotion at a later date.
If ordinary citizens can no longer seek justice and equity from our judiciary, where else can we turn to?
Our country's structure and system comprising the executive, the legislature and the judiciary appears to be crumbling. The once lauded Westminister system inherited from the British is now a pale shadow of its former glory.
In its place, the present (UMNO-led) Government has now perpetuated a system which is rotten to its core.
Only a matter of time before it will finally bring our country to an ignominious end.
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