Ramli to file suit against Gani, Musa, MACC

Former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Ramli Yusuff, confirmed that he will file a suit against attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

This was revealed as Malaysiakini contacted the former top cop following reports quoting PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub ( left ) that he will contest under the Islamist party ticket.

Ramli, who is presently overseas with his family, was surprised with Salahuddin's announcement, but declined to comment if they were true.

"I have heard a lot of things been said about me while I was away from the country. Some are inaccurate.

"But I hope people who wish to make statements about me would ask me first before saying anything publicly."

"What I can declare now is, yes, I am suing Abdul Gani and Musa and others who have fixed me and who are destroying the justice system.

"They smeared my name about being the RM27 million cop when they know these are all lies," he said.

The former CCID chief further said he intends to pursue his case through the courts and whatever forums available to help bring about accountability and reform, and strengthen the country's public institutions.

"I have been courted by various political parties, not just PAS. Contesting in an election is just a platform to fight for the things I believe in, and I will consider that when the time comes. Now is not the time," he said.

Yesterday, Free Malaysia Today quoted Salahuddin saying that Ramli had agreed to contest on the PAS ticket in the coming 13th general election.

Umno also approached Ramli

Salahuddin also named former federal CID chief Fauzi Shaari as the other former senior police officer who will also contest on the party's ticket.

While Ramli has confirmed PAS has courted him, it is also learnt from his close acquaintances that Umno had also approached the former CCID chief.

This follows suggestions by former Umno leaders including former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take in potential non-members and fresh blood to contest in the coming election.

Besides PAS and Umno it was also learnt that the DAP and PKR are also courting Ramli, who hails from Bunut Susu, Kelantan, to contest for them.

With so many knocking on Ramli's door, Salahuddin may have jumped the gun in announcing the ex-cop as a PAS candidate. The PAS leader may however be attempting to pre-empt the other parties.

Ramli had been vocal lately after the court had cleared him of allegations of non-declaration of assets to the Anti-Corruption Agency - now the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission - and of abuse of power in using a police Cessna aircraft.

He was initially charged at the Sessions Court in Sabah and also in Kuala Lumpur and all the courts from the Sessions to the High Court and Court of Appeal had upheld his acquittal without his defence called.

There is at present an appeal pending on one of Ramli's summons cases in Kuala Lumpur, where he was charged with not declaring that he was doing business as a director of a private firm to the authorities. He had been acquitted by the Sessions Court of the summons charge.

RM27 million cop allegation

Ramli, at his leap year birthday celebration this year, revealed how Musa, Abdul Gani and the ACA had been employed to fix him and six of his men up.

Ramli described the perversion of justice when the ACA was used by Musa and Abdul Gani to fabricate evidence in order to justify an investigation against him based on a shady character , Moo Sai Chin, who had been detained by Musa to force him to implicate Ramli.

Moo made the allegation - seven years after the incident in 1999 and while under detention by Musa in 2006, to implicate Ramli - that he had given money to the ex-CCID director.

Moo was never produced in court by the ACA and this was gravely frowned on by the Sessions judge M Gunalen who held there was no basis to justify investigations against Ramli, as there was no offence shown.

Musa's determination to remove Ramli became evident after Ramli and his men had arrested Goh Cheng Poh, or Tengku Goh, following investigations and placed the kingpin under restricted residence.

Ramli was at the time acting on orders from Deputy Home Minister Johari Baharom to curb the money lending menace in Johor, allegedly connected to Musa.

Gani then asked for the confidential case file by the CCID team, and these files made its way to the ACA for the agency to harass witnesses which led to Tengku Goh's arrest.

On the advice of the Abdul Gani ( right ), Tengku Goh was subsequently released unconditionally while his officers were charged with taking down false and fabricated statements implicating Musa. His men were later acquitted, the last in the middle of last year.

Even lawyer not spared

On June 2007, the ACA leaked information to the mainstream media which then posted sensational news that Ramli was claimed to be the RM27 million cop.

Five months later, Ramli was charged for non-disclosure of two office units owned by his family worth only RM1 million.

The 'RM27 million cop' story was instantly dropped and that sensational claim has not been not proven.

Ramli's lawyer, Rosli Dahlan ( left ) who helped draw some of the affidavits by CCID after the Attorney-General's Chambers abdicated its duty in Tengku Goh's habeas corpus application, was also not spared.

He was charged with failure to comply with a notice to declare his assets said to be linked to Ramli's on the eve of Hari Raya in 2007.

Utusan Malaysia which was one of the mainstream papers which reported the case of the RM27 million cop later agreed to issue an unreserved apology to Rosli in the manner of sensationalising the case.

Rosli then filed a RM50 million conspiracy and defamation suit against the ACA and some mainstream papers over this. His suit is still pending.

It is learnt Ramli's lawyers will file an endorsed writ of summons next week and this would be followed by his statement of claim.