After reports that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s number two Mohd Shukri Abdull was told to go overseas despite the commission being heavily engaged in the SRC International Sdn Bhd investigation, it is learnt that chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed has also gone on leave.
It is understood that this has paralysed the MACC's probe on SRC International Sdn Bhd and its receipt of a RM4 billion loan, from which some of the funds were allegedly transferred into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank accounts, to be disrupted.
To make things worse, six senior MACC officers are still being questioned by the police, two of them yesterday, in a probe by the authorities into alleged leaks under Section 124B of the Penal Code, for activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
An MACC deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi was hauled up by the police early last Saturday morning, and three other officers on Monday, including MACC special operations director Bahri Mohamad Zin ( left in photo ), forensics director IG Chandran and MACC's Special Operations Department officer Roslan Che Amat.
Two more were called in yesterday.
And all this is taking place at a critical time for the MACC, with investigations to complete and the MACC top two heads abroad.
Despite Shukri's denial that he was forced to be on leave, it is understood that this is in fact so.
These moves follow the sudden removal of Abdul Gani Patail and the appointment of former Federal Court judge Mohamed Apandi Ali as the new attorney-general.
Special prayer
It is now understood that the task of leading the graft commission has been placed under deputy MACC commissioner Mustafar Ali, who formerly headed the investigations division.
Yesterday, the MACC staff held special prayers to seek divine intervention from Allah, with outgoing MACC deputy commissioner Zakaria Jaafar leading the prayers.
In Zakaria's doa (prayer) following the solat hajat after Zohor prayers yesterday, he prayed that God grant the commission strength to perform its duties as best possible.
"Keep us away from wrongdoing, give strength to these graft-busters so they can save themselves, their families, organisations, communities, and especially our beloved country from being violated by actions of those who practise graft," he said in leading the prayers.
Zakaria, who retires in October, will be replaced by Mohamad Jamidan Abdullah. Jamidan is now the investigations division head.
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