The replacement of Special Branch chief Akhil Bulat and the transfer of his deputy Abdul Hamid Bador has raised red flags for former inspector-general of police Rahim Noor.

Rahim said the latest transfer of Abdul Hamid to the Prime Minister's Department was "very worrying", according to a report by The Star .

"The number one is no more there and now the number two is being transferred.

“Any right thinking person would know that for continuity, it would be better not to change the top two (simultaneously),” Rahim is quoted as saying by the daily.

Abdul Hamid ( photo ) had worked under Rahim when he led the Special Branch for four years, from 1986.

Rahim said he was not taking sides, but felt compelled to voice his dissatisfaction over the manner in which the transfer took place.

“He is very intelligent and very dedicated. He is an intelligence officer through and through. It is in his blood.

“As a boss, I never had any doubts about him. The interest and security of the country were always uppermost for him.

“He was dedicated to the Special Branch. He would do everything to safeguard its integrity, image and dignity,” Rahim was quoted as saying.

Insistence on proper probe

Abdul Hamid, who was transferred last Thursday, had speculated that it may be due to his insistence that a proper investigation be conducted into 1MDB.

His abrupt transfer followed the replacement of Akhil by Mohamad Fuzi Harun as special branch head, a few weeks before his contract expired.

Akhil replacement took place on July 28, the same day the then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail was replaced with retired judge Mohamed Apandi Ali ( photo ) and a cabinet reshuffle was initiated.

The cabinet reshuffle crippled the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which was investigating 1MDB as four of its members, including the committee's head, were appointed into the government.

Mohamed Apandi also proceeded to disband the special task force which was investigating the deposits of RM2.6 billion into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank accounts and state-owned SRC International Sdn Bhd.

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