There are 'elements' to show that Perak speaker V Sivakumar had abused his powers in relation to the suspension of Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and six executive councillors, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Ahmad Said Hamdan today.

ahmad said hamdan aca bpr boss He said MACC will record statements from several more state assemblypersons, including those from Barisan Nasional, to complete the investigation.

"For us, there are elements of abuse of power, we are investigating ... not prosecuting, in order to collect statements regarding the matter," he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian .

Yesterday, MACC recorded the statements of four Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons - who are members of the Rights and Privileges Committee - in connection with the suspension.

sivakumar perak speaker The committee, chaired by Sivakumar, had adopted the decision to suspend following a complaint lodged by state assemblyperson for Canning, Wong Kah Woh, against the seven citing contempt of the assembly for having allegedly accepted their appointments unconstitutionally.

The committee had suspended Menteri Besar Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir from the assembly for 18 months and the six executive councillors for 12 months.

Another member of the committee, state assemblyperson for Selinsing, Husin Din, was questioned by the MACC at his residence on March 17 while Sivakumar gave his statement at the official residence of the Perak menteri besar on Feb 26.

Police report filed

Meanwhile, Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming filed a report with the Ipoh police district headquarters for being barred from entering the state secretariat building on March 3.

nga kor ming "I was shocked when I arrived. The members of the House were prevented from entering to exercise their duties as elected representatives.

"I found that a police team, a FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) team and a group of thugs standing in front of the building to stop the proceedings until a commotion and scuffle erupted," he said in the report.

According to the opposition leader, he and Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham were told by Ipoh police chief Aziman Aliaz that he was instructed by the state secretary Abdul Rahman Hashim not to allow them into the building.

Nga said it is an offence under Section 124 of the Penal Code for any quarters to stop state assemblypersons from exercising their duties.

"So I am lodging this police report so that action can be taken against all those involved in the incident," he added.

After being barred from the premises, the Pakatan Rakyat representatives held their meeting under a nearby tree.

Perak has been enveloped in a political crisis since the Barisan Nasional took over the state government following the defection of several Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons.

Court of Appeal rules against Nizar

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal today rejected an appeal by ousted Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin against a High Court order to transfer his case against new MB Zambry Abdul Kadir to the Federal Court.

nizar jamaluddin dr zambry abdul kadir perak Nizar had filed an appeal on Monday against the High Court's decision to refer his suit against Zambry on the legitimacy of his appointment as the menteri besar to the Federal Court.

High Court judge Lau Bee Lan had ruled on March 6 that there were constitutional issues involving the interpretation of Article 16 (6) of the Perak constitution and referred four constitutional questions to the Federal Court for determination.

Nizar had filed for a judicial review on Feb 13, seeking a declaration that he is the rightful menteri besar of Perak and an injunction to bar Zambry from discharging his duties as the menteri besar.

The Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Nizar's appeal, ruling that the High Court decision to transfer the case to the apex court was correct.

The matter would now be heard at the Federal Court on Monday.

In a related case, the judicial review applications by Sivakumar and three opposition assemblymen against three independents and the Election Commission have been put off to March 27.

Judge Lau allowed the adjournment pending Federal Court decisions on some constitutional issues raised in Nizar vs Zambry suit.