Black eye: Another 'incident' of fabricating evidence

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim today lodged a police report against Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan, alleging that they were involved in a conspiracy to fabricate an arrest warrant which led to his arrest in 1998.

Anwar, who appeared at the Damansara police station this morning, said the then assistant commissioner of police Koh Hang San had effected an arrested under Section 377B of the Penal Code but then lodged a police report that he (Anwar) was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Referring to a report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the ' black eye ' incident, Anwar said Abdul Gani and Musa were involved in another instance of fabricating evidence.

"The facts (in the royal commission report) also showed that they (Abdul Gani and Musa) had fabricated a false police report in relation to my arrest made by Koh... stating that I was arrested under the ISA instead of the sodomy allegations that were cited to me by Koh when he arrested me at my home a few hours earlier on Sept 21, 1998," said Anwar.

The inquiry's report, part of which Anwar submitted to the police today, contained Koh's statement to the commission which stated that he had informed his superior, then Deputy Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Ramli Yusoff, that Anwar was arrested under the Penal Code.

But according to Koh, Ramli said to him that he should make a "formal arrest under ISA".

"This was done in a conspiracy to prevent the fact of my assault and injuries being made known to the public, as I would not have been produced in court subsequently," he said.

"I have today lodged a police report in relation to their role in the conspiracy resulting in Koh lodging a false police report against me on Sept 21, 1998. I say that this further confirms their role in the conspiracy behind the police report by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 28, 2008, as a fabricated report.

'They are attempting to erase the case'

"The reason I am repeatedly lodging these reports is because if things like this can happen to me, as I was once the deputy prime minister and now the opposition leader, the faith of the people would not be protected in this institution.

"There are police officers who are committed to their tasks, I don't deny that, otherwise I wouldn't be lodging this report. However, because the police chief is involved, it seems like they are attempting to erase this case," said Anwar.

In July last year, Anwar accused Abdul Gani and Musa ( right ) of manipulating evidence in an investigation into an alleged beating he received while in police custody by former Inspector General of Police Rahim Noor a decade ago.

"I regret that it has been over eight months now and there is no sign of any action being taken by the Anti-Corruption Agency, now the much touted Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC)," he said.

"The MACC has completed its task and I believe their recommendation is naturally to prosecute. I don't think they have any other choice (as) the facts are clear (and) incontrovertible (and) cannot be challenged.

"The only issue is that there is no political will and criminals are being protected by the institution of governance.

"How do you then defend a situation where there is clear evidence of a criminal act by the AG and the IGP, and (there is a) recommendation to prosecute by the commission but until today no action has been taken," he said.

Anwar, then deputy prime minister, was arrested in 1998 and later jailed for sodomy and corruption. The sodomy conviction was later overturned.

The Pakatan Rakyat coalition leader also said today that Abdul Gani and Musa's involvement was further affirmed by a defamation suit against him (Anwar) last October by Mat Zain Ibrahim, the investigating officer who probed the 'black eye' incident.

Mat Zain had stated that Abdul Gani, who was then a senior deputy public prosecutor, delayed the investigation process and concealed facts from then AG, the late Mohtar Abdullah.