Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Zulkipli Mat Noor, who himself is being investigated over allegations of corruption, refused to comment on a similar probe concerning a deputy minister.

"No, no. I don't want to comment. Because this is a passing out parade and that is where the focus should be," he told reporters when quizzed on the matter after attending an ACA officers passing out parade in Negeri Sembilan today.

Zulkipli was asked for his comments on the ACA investigations into the allegation that Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum had accepted bribes amounting to RM5.5 million to free several criminal suspects held under the Emergency Ordinance (EO).

The 'freedom for sale' allegation came hot on the heels of graft allegations against Zulkipli which were contained in a report penned by retired Sabah ACA director Mohamad Ramli Abdul Manan.

The report was exposed by an anti-corruption watchdog last week.

Yesterday, Ramli filed a civil suit against several government bodies and a major English-language daily at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

According to a Bernama report, Zulkipli also declined to comment on the suit much to the disappointment of reporters.

When asked to respond to the suit, the ACA director-general had walked on and invited the reporters to enjoy the refreshments that had been prepared.

Time consuming

In a related development, Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said the investigations concerning Zulkipli, a former high ranking police officer, will take time as the police must sift through reports dating 10 years back.

"It is not easy to run through the 'backdated' facts of the case. Furthermore our special team (probing the matter) consists of three officers and they need time to ensure that no fact is overlooked," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Apart from the graft allegations, Ramli's report also highlighted that a businesswoman had accused Zulkipli of a sexual crime and assault in 1997 when he was the Johor police chief.

However, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail later said that police investigations then found no grounds for prosecution.

Zulkipli has denied all the allegations.