He said the MACC was confident with the ability and credibility of the police force to deal with the matter and that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador had also stated that the problem could be resolved internally.

“This issue can be addressed by the police and it’s a closed issue. So I don’t think there is a need for us to intervene,” he told the media after an anti-corruption event at the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.

Hamid had previously exposed the existence of a movement among young officers who sought to topple him. He claimed that this group intended to dominate the police force for their personal benefit.

The Integrity Department at federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman has started identifying the members of the network believed to be behind the “cartel” according to its director Zamri Yahya.

The department would get further insights from Hamid on the identity of the officers who sought to oust him.

“The investigations will be centred on identifying the number of officers involved in the cartel, their network, and if they have breached police conduct and discipline,” he told Malay Mail.

Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, a former Cabinet minister, was among those who urged the MACC to investigate and get to the bottom of the claims made by the IGP.

The anti-corruption group Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) urged the government to revive the Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission with the teeth to take action against corrupt officers and provide reforms in the force.

TI-M said the internal practices within the Royal Malaysian Police need modernisation. “If the corruption crisis highlighted by the IGP has proven anything, the matter cannot be treated solely as an internal issue and resolved within its ranks.”