Ling's abduction: Authorities' integrity questioned, MACC dodges blame

Summary

• Pamela Ling’s family lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo questions authorities’ integrity over her disappearance.

• She says Ling had also accused MACC of trying to pressure her to resolve disputes with her estranged husband.

• MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki urges public to stop speculating and blaming the commission over the case.

The disappearance of Pamela Ling does not sit well with her family lawyer, who questioned the integrity of the authorities for letting it happen.

However, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said it is unfair to blame the commission over the matter.

In a statement today, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said her disappearance raises serious questions about public safety.

“It has been alleged that individuals impersonating police officers may have been involved in intercepting Ling on the day of her disappearance.

“If true, this raises troubling questions about public safety and enforcement integrity.

“How such an incident could occur - let alone in proximity to a high-security government premises - without detection is shocking,” she added.

Arrested without legal basis

Sangeet said that on April 7, just two days before the disappearance, Ling filed a judicial review application in the High Court of Malaya challenging the actions of the graft busters.

“In her application, the MACC is alleged to have, among others, used its powers under the MACC Act and anti-money laundering law to exert pressure on Ling to resolve private disputes with her estranged husband, rather than for legitimate investigative purposes.

“The MACC also arrested and remanded Ling without proper legal basis and in breach of due process, and subjected Ling to a travel restriction without explanation, despite full compliance with MACC requirements,” she added.

The lawyer further took issue with the MACC’s silence on the circumstances of Ling’s last scheduled attendance.

“No clarification has been offered as to whether MACC flagged any risk to her safety despite knowing that she was involved in sensitive financial and matrimonial disputes spanning locally and in Singapore, involving alleged fraudulent transfers of company shares, alongside a suit for the division of a substantial pool of matrimonial assets,” she said.

To date, she said the MACC has not confirmed whether it has shared all relevant information with the police.

This included what occurred on the day of the incident in or just outside MACC grounds, information about security guards on duty at the time or whether the commission ever lodged a missing person report.

“The integrity of our institutions depends on full answers being provided,” Sangeet added.

‘Don’t blame MACC’

Earlier, Azam urged the public to stop speculating on the case and allow the police room to investigate.

"You cannot blame us for her disappearance as the incident was beyond our control and occurred on a public road and not within the MACC compound," Azam told the New Straits Times, adding that there was no way to predict any threat to Ling's safety.

On May 2, Ling’s family revealed that the 42-year-old, who is a Datin Seri, was on her way to meet MACC investigators on April 9, where she was supposed to facilitate a money laundering investigation, but was abducted before she could reach her destination.

Her Grab driver on that day claimed that individuals wearing police uniforms stopped his vehicle, forced Ling to exit and allegedly forced him to mark the ride as “completed”.

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said his team is investigating the possibility of Ling’s husband being involved in her abduction.

He also said his team is determining whether the suspects are actual officers or impostors.

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