At a press conference in Parliament today, Fahmi also urged police to investigate the MACC officers who allegedly misappropriated money classified as evidence and replaced it with counterfeit banknotes, stating that the trio could have committed five Penal Code offences.
“It is my belief, and that of many of my fellow MPs, that the MACC head has to be rested from his duties. He should go on garden leave … We want the investigation process to be conducted with integrity,” he said.
“My fellow MPs and I will file a motion to debate this (in the Dewan Rakyat) tomorrow.
“The important issue now is that MACC’s integrity can be questioned. Are we ready to face a situation where the rakyat has lost trust in MACC?”
Among the Penal Code offences that the PKR communications director said the trio of officers should be investigated under include Section 204 for destroying evidence, Section 379 for stealing, and Sections 489A, 489B and 489C, which relate to the possession of counterfeit money and passing it off as genuine.
MACC confirmed yesterday that three of its officers were remanded from Sept 14-19 to assist in investigations into allegations of abuse of power and malpractice, with the anti-graft agency stating that a thorough investigation was under way.
The Edisi Siasat blog had alleged that former Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation director-general Hasanah Abdul Hamid tried to reclaim US$6 million (RM25.1 million) in cash that was confiscated from a Cyberjaya apartment before she was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in her criminal breach of trust case in April.
According to the blog, Hasanah had claimed that part of the cash was missing and had been replaced with counterfeit notes, and that she had made a report on the matter.
However, Criminal Investigation Department director Abd Jalil Hassan said police had not received a report on the alleged theft of case materials, including the RM25.1 million in cash belonging to the former spy chief.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, who was also at the press conference with Fahmi, urged police to investigate the trio of MACC officers immediately.
Hassan, who is a member of the special committee on corruption (JKMR) – a body appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong – said MACC’s investigation of its own officers was a conflict of interest.
“In terms of the law, this is an omission of failure by MACC as the money which they kept as evidence has been tampered with,” he said.
“When evidence has been tampered with, this is a criminal offence, not abuse of power or corruption.
“MACC cannot investigate itself. This is a police case.”