Former ministers Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Azmi Khalid, and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi have been urged to verify whether it was common practice for the Home Ministry to write letters to the US' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

 

This comes after Hishammuddin Hussein, who served from 2009 to 2013, and Syed Hamid Albar ( below ), who held the post from 2008 to 2009, denied such practice.

 

The spotlight fell on the former home ministers after current Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed his predecessor had also written directly to the FBI.

 

Zahid made the claim in defence of his letter to the FBI dated Dec 18 last year in which he cleared alleged kingpin Paul Phua of being a 14K triad member.

 

He further claimed Phua was helping Malaysia on “national security projects” and expressed hope for his return to Malaysia.

 

"Zahid had made a most astonishing claim when trying to exonerate himself from any wrong in his infamous letter to the FBI vouching for the character of the alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua, standing trial in Las Vegas, Nevada, for illegal gambling, that previous Home Ministers before him had also written such 'clarification' letters.

 

"The trio (Radzi, Azmi, Abdullah) should speak up as elder statesmen to clear the air and not behave like fugitives from justice seeking refuge from the truth as if they had done a great disservice to the nation," said DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang in a statement today.

 

Former prime minister Abdullah served as home minister between 1999 and 2004 while Azmi served from 2004 to 2006, before being succeeded by Radzi, whose tenure lasted until 2008.

 

Lim ( left ) said the trio should not only speak up for national interest but to "remove any stain" on their record as home minister.

 

"Radzi, Azmi and Abdullah would not be doing themselves any service by keeping mum on their record as Home Minister whether they had written unilaterally any ‘clarification letter’ to the FBI, not only contradicting the police force but without the knowledge of the police, the foreign ministry, or even the Cabinet," said Lim.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said the government had no knowledge of the letter but Cabinet later said it accepted Zahid's explanation.

 

Zahid said he was merely carrying out his duty as home minister when he made the "clarification" at Phua's lawyers’ request.

 

However, it contradicted Malaysian police information provided to the FBI which claimed that Phua was a 14K triad member.

 

Veteran lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is acting for Phua in Malaysia, has maintained his client is not a triad member and is innocent.