Former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department (CID) chief Mat Zain Ibrahim has called on the police to re-open an investigation against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for allegedly interfering in a corruption case.

NONE Mahathir has been accused of intervening after RM100,000 in cash was discovered in then Economic Planning Unit director Ali Abul Hassan Sulaiman's office in 2000, during a raid ordered by then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) chief Shafee Yahya.

Mat Zain in an open letter today to inspector-general of police Ismail Omar ( above ) said the abuse of power case against Mahathir was never closed.

He explained that Shafee had revealed that Mahathir ordered an end to the corruption probe against Ali Abul on June 12, 2000, and the following day, a police report was lodged against the then prime minister.

'Case closed before it was opened'

However, Mat Zain pointed out, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and then inspector-general of police Musa Hassan allegedly colluded with each other in 2008 and declared that the investigation against Mahathir was closed by then attorney-general, Mohtar Abdullah, four months before the allegation even emerged.

"How can the investigation papers be studied and closed in February 2000 when Shafee only made his statement in court on June 12, 2000, and a police report was lodged against Mahathir on June 13, 2000?" he asked.

NONE He added that the investigation papers were only handed to the attorney-general in November 2000 and police recommended that the investigation be put on hold until further statements were received or when Shafee ( left ) personally lodged a police report and provided additional information.

Based on this chronology, said Mat Zain who was also the investigating officer in the Ali Abul case , and following various police reports lodged after Shafee disclosed the matter in court, the abuse of power case against Mahathir remained open.

The conflicting statements made by Gani and Musa also warrants that the police re-look at the case, he said.

He also called on the police to investigate the case against Ali Abul, which was initiated by the then ACA but was abruptly ended amid allegations of interference by Mahathir.

"The case against Ali Abul was closed under extraordinary circumstances that raised suspicion among investigators," he said.

Mat Zain, who led a police team to seize documents from the then ACA office following the investigations, said the case was never closed also because of the fact that police were awaiting Shafee's response to the allegations.

Shafee's wife has since written a book on her husband, titled T he Shafee Yahya Story: Estate boy to ACA chief.

Why AG did not act on Musa's admission

On Monday, Mat Zain in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini said that Mahathir could be investigated for abetment in fabricating or concealing material facts with regard to the Anwar Ibrahim black-eye incident.

NONE He further questioned why Gani ( right ), the current attorney-general, had not taken action after Musa's admission to Malaysiakini last May that on Oct 15, 1998, he took Anwar's blood sample, given during the black eye incident, from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Mat Zain said Gani chose to keep quiet, as if such action of fabrication, or cheating resulting in a person to be wrongly jailed, was not a crime.

"I state that Gani did not make any comment on Musa's revelation because he himself is involved in fabrication in the DNA on the infamous mattress (in Anwar's Sodomy I case), and in fact he is the key player in fabricating evidence in the black-eye incident," he said.

Mat Zain, who was the investigating officer in the Anwar black-eye case, has made numerous allegations of fabrication of evidence against Musa and Gani, as he also has in his open letters issued in the past.

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