TI-M: Obstruction of MACC's investigations unlawful

PETALING JAYA: Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) has strongly opposed the obstruction of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)'s investigations by the police or any other agencies, which is unlawful under Section 48 of the MACC Act.
Section 48 of the MACC Act criminalises the obstruction of an MACC investigation.
"Since July 31, seven of the MACCs investigators have either been arrested, detained for questioning, come under investigation, had their homes or offices raided and laptops and documents seized," said TI-M's president Datuk Akhbar Satar (pix) in a statement.
Recently, the agency's Special Operations director Datuk Bahri Mohamad Zin and Strategic Communications director Datuk Rohaizad Yaakob were transferred to the Prime Minister's office with immediate effect on Friday.
"This is a significant hindrance to the investigation and intrusion of MACC's role.
"There certainly appears to be a systematic dismantling and neutralisation of the MACC, an institution launched by the PM himself for the sole and noble purpose of investigating and eradicating corruption in the nation!" he said in response to the Prime Minister's actions.
"How the tables have turned! It is as if some are allowed to operate above our own anti-corruption laws and immune from MACC's statutory powers," he added.
He said that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and his deputy have denied interference in the issue, but their actions have proved otherwise.
"To put it mildly, have the police not acted in a high-handed manner in interfering with MACC's probe as reportedly mentioned by one Minister?"
He also said that the actions by the government recently have affected public confidence and compromised parliamentary democracytappl.
"With the sudden pre-mature death of the 1MDB taskforce, unjust pressure on public institutions, the replacement of the Attorney General, swift cabinet reshuffle, elevation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members into the cabinet and clamp down on the media, and now the unprecedented attack on the MACC, public confidence is plummeting as parliamentary democracy is being compromised daily," he said.
"The irony of it is that some of these unjustifiable actions are made in the name of preserving parliamentary democracy! Are we not bordering on becoming not just a failed state but an oppressed one as well?" he added.