The EAIC said this was because Hamid had failed to submit any evidence to support his claim nor name officers allegedly involved in the cartel.

“He also admitted that as IGP, he never raised the issue in meetings involving directors of Bukit Aman’s various departments,” it said in a statement.

The statement, signed by EAIC chairman Sidek Hassan, his deputy and five commissioners, comes after Hamid’s scathing criticisms of the commission.

Recently, Hamid expressed disappointment at the findings of the EAIC on the non-existence of a police cartel, which he had alleged in April last year.

Hamid claimed that Sidek was not familiar with “the system” in the police force.

“He doesn’t really know how the system works … so sad. A retired soul tells no lies,” he told FMT last week.

In his last media conference as IGP in April 2021, Hamid claimed that there was a police cartel aiming to oust him for being vocal in exposing issues of misconduct, integrity and corruption within the force.

The EAIC statement said its commissioners found that Hamid did not take appropriate action despite claiming to know about the cartel’s existence since 2020.

“He had the time and power to address this issue before going to the media,” it said.

“There were witnesses in EAIC’s investigation who said that Hamid’s claims, which were made just before his contract expired, raised questions about his motive and intention.”

The EAIC said Hamid should have ordered Bukit Aman’s integrity and standards compliance department (JIPS) to conduct investigations into the issue, and did not provide EAIC with any information to probe the alleged cartel.

Hamid also did not raise the issue with the Police Force Commission (SPP) during his time as the nation’s top cop, it said.