Parti Keadilan Rakyat leaders today came out firing on all cylinders, questioning the timing of the arrests of its Perak assemblymen on charges of corruption.

tian chua and saifuddin nasution ismail police penang permatang pauh by election 210808 02 "We've clear doubts about the way the ACA has conducted its work. There seems to be clear intentions to create issues to put PKR in a bad light," said information chief Tian Chua ( photo: centre ) at the PKR operations centre in Permatang Pauh

A caustic Tian Chua also questioned the Anti-Corruption Agency's "efficiency" in nabbing Perak excos Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, saying the arrests were extremely "timely" in view of the on-going Permatang Pauh by-election.

The Batu MP was equally unhappy about the way information of the arrests were leaked to the media.

"Their actions do not show that the ACA acted professionally or neutrally. They've given the public the impression that the two state excos are already involved in a corruption case," he said.

As long as the ACA answered directly to the prime minister and not to Parliament, their motives and actions will always be questionable, Tian Chua added.

"As such, we urge the ACA to conduct its work professionally and with transparency. And we hope that Barisan Nasional will not use this case to spearhead their campaign," he said.

"From the party's point of view, we've strong confidence in the assemblymen and we will also go down in full force to explain to the voters on this matter."

Two Perak PKR state executive councillors and a former PKR state assemblyperson were among six people detained in an ACA operation yesterday.

Left holding the bag

perak exco aca arrest 200808 mohd osman mohd jailu Mohd Osman ( right ) is the the exco for tourism, human capital and NGOs while Jamaluddin is the exco for entrepreneur development, agriculture and commerce.

In a statement, the ACA said the six were detained for alleged graft in relation to a RM180 million housing project in Seri Iskandar, about 30-minutes drive south of Ipoh.

Five of them, aged between 45 and 57, were picked up following a tip-off from the public.They were released today after a one-day remand. Jamaluddin however was today remanded for two days.

Tian Chua also reiterated Perak Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin's explanation today that the two assemblymen could not have been involved as there was no such project in the first place. He stressed the Seri Iskandar housing project worth RM180 million did not exist.

"If the MB said there were no projects, how could the two be accepting bribes to approve it?" asked Tian Chua.

Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Sallehudin Hashim called on the media to practise responsible journalism and not play up the issue.

According to Sallehudin some papers reported the arrests were conducted in a hotel while sexual favours were also part of the deal. In particular, they said Osman and another former state assemblyman were arrested in a hotel room.

One newspaper quoted Perak ACA director Samsiah Abu Bakar as saying: "None of them resisted when the team barged into the hotel room about 6pm. We also found RM100,000 in a bag belonging to one of the suspects."

Information gleaned from the ACA statement yesterday provided no details of where the arrests took place.

In a flyer obtained from the PKR office, former PKR assemblyman Captain Usaili Alias was having tea at a shop with Osman when they were approached by two strangers.

According to the flyer, the duo spoke to Usaili and Osman before leaving a bag behind: "Captain Usaili Alias and Osman Mohd Jailu were arrested by ACA officers when they held the bag, containing RM100,000."