Selangor exco Ronnie Liu has hit out at the police over their unannounced visit to his office yesterday, during which they ‘interviewed’ a member of his staff and took away the visitors’ logbook.

ronnie liu pc 180809 04 “I’m puzzled as to why the police officers did not call ahead or send a note via fax before their visit to the state secretariat. Where is their courtesy?” he asked at a press conference today in Shah Alam.

“This shows their disrespect for the state secretariat and the Selangor government. Their actions reflect poorly on the police.”

He also said the police should have known that he was in Permatang Pasir yesterday to support the Pakatan Rakyat candidate’s nomination for the by-election, and should not have come when he was not in his office.

Yesterday morning, two officers from Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Department visited the offices of Liu and fellow exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah at the Selangor state secretariat.

This was apparently part of a probe into alleged links between an exco member and gangsters, based on a blog entry by Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong.

He had claimed that the office of a Selangor exco was being used by some underworld characters, without naming the person.

NONE Ean Yong (right) had said yesterday that the probe is being conducted under Section 211 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The provision prohibits content which is indecent, obscene, false, menacing, or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person.

The offence carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a minimum jail term of a year, or both, upon conviction. A further fine of RM1,000 is levied for every day that the offence is continued.

Liu, who heads the local government portfolio, pointed out that his administrative staff are not the right persons to interview in the probe.

He asked why the police had taken away the visitors’ logbook from his office, saying a photocopy should have sufficed as the item is state property.

"Yesterday, I had told my clerk if the police wanted to take any documents, they could only take photocopies and not the originals but the police still took way the original visitors log book," he lamented.

ronnie liu pc 180809 03 “My immediate concern is that the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) may tamper with or doctor the document in order to implicate us,” he explained, distributing copies of the logbook to journalists.

He questioned the basis of the investigations, which he said could have been triggered by two recent police reports.

One of these was made - and accepted - by Chief Inspector Mohd Zulhissam Zakaria of the Selangor contingent police headquarters, who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Department.

The second report is said to contain information that Liu claimed was submitted to the police by Wee.

“As the ones who are being investigated, we have a right to know who made the report against us,” he stressed.

Police ‘double standards’

Liu complained that there has been no action on his police report lodged last month about an anonymous blog which posted “false information” about the Teoh Beng Hock case.

“I don’t even know who the investigating officer is. Why the double standards?” he asked.

Asked if there is some significance to the fact that this is not the first time a Pakatan Rakyat politician has been linked to underworld figures, Liu responded: “Only the police would know the answer to that question.

“We cannot screen everyone who comes to us for help as it would be rude to ask those who come if they have underworld connections. This continuous attempt to link Selangor excos with criminal elements is unreasonable.”

While calling for a halt to the “mudslinging”, Liu said he is willing to work with the police to clear his name.

lingam tape panel meeting 031007 abdul gani patail On a related matter, he attacked attorney-general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail’s intention to take legal action to set aside a Selangor directive that the MACC can only interview state government personnel during office hours, within the state secretariat and with a lawyer present.

The directive was issued to provide protection for state employees after what happened to DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock. He was found dead on July 16 after being interrogated overnight at the Selangor MACC office.

“Before the AG or the federal government challenges the state government, they must first fulfill their promise to hold a royal commission to look into the investigative practices of MACC,” he said.

“(Until then) we cannot be sure that there is no element of misconduct in the standard operating procedures or that the safety of state employees is guaranteed.”

The government has pledged to set up a royal commission of inquiry after the ongoing inquest into Teoh’s death is completed.