Police investigations have confirmed today that no cabinet minister was involved in the bogus Federal Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM).

Federal CID director Salleh Mat Som said the police found no evidence to show that cabinet ministers were involved in the shadowy paramilitary movement after questioning Malaysian Emergency Action Force chief Munsyi Muslim Yacob yesterday.

"From the investigations yesterday, I can confirm that no minister is involved in the unregistered organisation," he was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama .

Salleh was earlier asked to comment on press reports quoting Munsyi as saying that he had no evidence or documents to prove the involvement of ministers in the crippled organisation.

A previous report had quoted Munsyi ( left ) as saying that ministers were involved in the movement.

Following this, Munsy contacted Bernama yesterday and denied having made any such allegation. He claimed that his statements had been misinterpreted by the media.

Reporter to be questioned

Meanwhile, Salleh said that he had also directed commercial crime officers to record statements from the reporter who wrote the initial story.

"I have to find out from the reporter whether what Munsyi said is recorded on tape during the press conference or somebody wrote (the report) to his whims," he said.

"From the latest reports I received, Munsyi cannot substantiate his allegations or statements as published in the newspapers. "We've to clarify the whole thing," he added.

"If he (Munsyi) admits saying it, then it can be said as slander, (but) he says he did not say it," said Salleh when replying to a question on whether the allegation was a slander by Munsyi.

Munsyi, who is head of the Malaysian Emergency Action Force (MEAF) - a rescue unit which is registered under the Prime Minister's Department - had claimed that FSFM leaders tried to weaken his leadership by influencing several people, including top government officials.

It is reported that the underground paramilitary unit was formed by breakaway members of the emergency action force.

FSFM leader Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali ( left ) - a former MEAF member and a self-proclaimed Lt Jeneral - was arrested late last month in the wake of a raid at the 'special forces' headquarters in Jalan Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur.

Military ranks on sale

In the raid, the police seized an assortment of weapons, uniforms, computers and documents. They also took away application forms, credit card-type authority cards and identification tags.

The authority and identity cards are said to be of a high quality and give the impression that the owner is linked to the Prime Minister's Department.

Media reports say that Nor Azami had convinced about 8,000 people to join FSFM. These people have paid between RM8,000 and RM25,000 to buy ranks.

Investigations revealed that Nor Azami could have raked in about RM64 million from the sale of the military ranks.

Close to 3,000 members of the illegal organisation have since either been detained or surrendered to the police.