The police may summon business paper  The Edge and whistleblower portal Sarawak Report for questioning, regarding their reports on 1MDB, said Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.

 

"We will call anybody for (investigation) if there is a necessity," he said in a press conference at Putrajaya today.

 

He was asked if the police would call them for questioning following Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement last week.

 

Last Wednesday, Zahid ( photo ) had told reporters in Putrajaya that the information reported by  Sarawak Report  and later reproduced by  The Edge  was untrue , because the facts had been "twisted".

"Investigations will be conducted to identify the appropriate laws that can be used to charge (the perpetrators).

"In view of the arrest in Thailand, we will provide any form of assistance requested by the Thai authorities, including providing witnesses from Malaysia," said the minister, who added the ministry may also revoke the permit of the business daily.

 

No media clampdown

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who also attended the pre-launch of General Police and Special Equipment Exhibition and Conferences Asia 2015, denied there was a clampdown on the media reporting issues relating to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

"Well, the people made allegation on the government all the time anyway. The speculation by the mainstream press or social media is still going on.

 

"I don't think the government has the power to really stop whatever they (media) want to speculate,” said the BN Santubong MP.

 

"The government is not going to clampdown the media. That's the promise made by the government, when we launched Multimedia Super Corridor back in 1993. The policy still stands," he said.

When asked to comment on Zahid's claim that The Edge Media Group's printing permits might be revoked, the duputy minister said a decision made will be made if the press has broken the law.

"When the ministry decide on certain things, it is not based on assumption, but based on fully investigation cases, whether or not cupablility or offence has been committed by the media itself," he said.