KUALA LUMPUR: Police maintain that their personnel were not involved in the disappearance of Perlis activist Amri Che Mat, despite the conclusion of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (Suhakam) inquiry into the incident.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said a key witness who was linked with the disappearance of Amri was not a policeman but a contract-worker.
“The witness was a civil servant working with the police and he has resigned from his job,“ said Mohamad Fuzi during a press conference at the Police Training Centre, here today.
Earlier, Mohamad Fuzi witnessed the handing-over of duties by the outgoing Federal NCID director Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh to incoming acting director Deputy Commissioner Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat.
When asked whether police would issue an arrest warrant against the person, believed to be Saiful Bahari, Mohamad Fuzi said: “We had done our investigation and referred it to the deputy public prosecutor (DPP). We’ll wait for the DPP’s next instruction.”
Early this month, a Suhakam public inquiry concluded that Amri and Pastor Raymond Koh were victims of enforced disappearances.
The inquiry had heard that a car belonging to a Special Branch officer, Saiful Bahari, was seen near the place where Amri was believed to have been abducted.
In an immediate response, Suhakam vice-chairman Jerald Joseph refuted allegations that its public inquiry into the disappearance of Koh and Amri was an attempt to punish the police.
“Suhakam, throughout the course of the inquiry, and indeed with regards to all the work we do, has acted without fear, favour, malice or prejudice in our attempt to uncover the truth in a matter that is of great public interest and is integral to the exercise of democracy in Malaysia,” Jerald said.
“To claim that the commission is attempting to punish the police or provoke reactions from the public and the establishment is far-fetched,” he added.
He said the commission chose to release the information directly to the public instead of providing advance copies to the authorities because it was in the interest of transparency.
“The findings of the two missing persons cases had to be disclosed due to the public nature of the inquiry. The government should expedite the implementation of the recommendations in the findings,” Jerald said.
“With respect to the principles of transparency and accountability, the content of each of the inquiry reports has been made public and accessible to members of the public and the media upon the conclusion of each inquiry,” he said.
Koh was abducted by a group of men while on his way to visit a friend in Petaling Jaya on Feb 13, 2017.
Amri, the co-founder of non-governmental organisation Perlis Hope, went missing on Nov 24, 2016, after stepping out of his home in Kangar at about 11.30pm.
The inquiry by Suhakam, initiated under Section 12(1) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act, began on Oct 19, 2017 and ended on March 6.
On the whereabouts of M. Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband and her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa, Mohamad Fuzi said police are still waiting for more information to locate them.
“We have met with NGO Indira Gandhi Action Team and the related lawyers who are handling the case, to exchange information to identify the next course of action in locating them.
“We have also given them the contact number of the person in charge of the special task force. Although we have failed to locate the two at several possible locations that were given to us, we are not keeping quiet. We are just waiting for more information,“ he added.
