Cops to be charged for siphoning RM1.5m

KUALA LUMPUR: At least two police officers allegedly involved in siphoning RM1.5 million meant for repair and refurbishment works at the federal police headquarters building at Bukit Aman last year are expected to be charged for criminal breach of trust soon.
Federal police commercial crimes investigations department (CCID) director Commissioner Datuk Mortadza Nazarene told theSun yesterday that police had concluded its investigations and have received orders from the Attorney-General Chambers to charge those involved in the embezzlement.
Asked when the police officers held over the case will face court charges, he said the date was indefinite but investigators are making preparations to carry it out soon.
The case front-paged in theSun on Nov 18 last year revealed that the money which was meant for various repairs and replacement of fire doors and air conditioning systems at Tower 2 – the old office block of the federal police was siphoned in several dozen transactions through the use of doctored papers carrying forged signatures and duplicated rubber stamps of two police directors and a civil engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) to hoodwink the Treasury into releasing payments for non-existent tenders.
A building contractor and six senior and rank-and-file police personnel were arrested by the CCID in connection with the case.
Several luxury cars belonging to the suspects were seized and their bank accounts were frozen during the course of investigations.
The discrepancies were uncovered in June last year during an internal audit carried out by the Home Ministry at the police logistics department.
The ministry’s auditors discovered that refurbishment projects – including two major contracts costing about RM500,000 to replace fire-resistant doors and upgrading the building’s air conditioning systems – stated in documents they examined at Bukit Aman, were never fulfilled although payments were recorded as disbursed to individuals who allegedly posed as contractors undertaking the job.