ANTI CORRUPTION AGENCY IS BUSY

Robert P,hang (left) and ACA DG (right) surrounded by
reporters at ACA HQ Putrajaya today.

"As a result of the checks, many started hurling allegations against committee members" - TAN SRI MUSA HASSAN

With the current hives of activity amongst ACA personnel, to ask for more allocation and manpower from JPA is a reasonable thing to do. There is no news about the promised changes and process reengineering in the ACA mentioned by YAB PM.

In another development, IGP claimed that allegations about malpractice in the Logistic Dept started when the Police uncovered attempts to cheat the Dept by unscrupulous suppliers.

ACA probes police procurement malpractice involving millions of ringgit
Husna Yusop
SUN2SURF
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PUTRAJAYA (July 30, 2008) : The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has started investigations into allegations of malpractice in the police procurement involving about RM198 million, involving the purchase of dogs, equipment, vehicles and uniforms.

ACA deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said agency officers had been sent to the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters to look for documents to determine whether there were elements of corruption in the police procurement.

"We will get all the related documents first, then we will discuss it and study the evidence. We will look at the implications, whether there were possible offences related to procedures, non-compliance of the laws or criminal offences like making false claims or others," he told reporters who asked whether any arrests were expected soon.

"We will look at it. If there is a strong case, we will carry on with the investigations," Abu Kassim said in the ACA headquarters here today after a meeting with Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) executive council member Tan Sri Robert Phang.

Phang today submitted an eight-page document to the ACA involving an allegation of malpractice in a RM98 million procurement for the police force involving six high-ranking officers.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan was meanwhile reported to have also started an internal probe into malpractice in the police logistics department involving more than RM100 million, and that at least 12 officers and men, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police, have been transferred.`

Yesterday, Phang disclosed he had received documents on July 23 from an unidentified whistleblower alleging that the federal police logistics department failed to comply with standard operating procedures (SOP) when conducting procurement during the 12th general election.

Phang said the documents implicated six officers, including a "very senior police officer".

On Phang’s documents, Abu Kassim said the ACA will act if there were elements and evidence "for us to do so".

"We take this matter seriously. There are some information which we can get clarification from the parties (identified in the documents)," he added.

He said the ACA had been communicating with the police on the matter on several occasions before, and the police had also submitted several reports to the agency.

"The IGP has also contacted us to look at cases related to administration and logistics. So, the police do refer to ACA if they need to do so. And, there are certain things related to this which we are investigating now," he added.

When contacted, Phang said the documents that he handed over to Abu Kassim contained some new information that implicated at least six officers.

"I believe the ACA have gone to Bukit Aman at 8am today and seized some documents which were different from what I received. The documents have complemented what the ACA needed because more culprits were identified," he added.


Police investigating RM100mil logistics fraud bid
By LOURDES CHARLES
Staronline
KUALA LUMPUR: The federal police logistics department has uncovered attempts by unscrupulous suppliers to cheat it in the supply of equipment worth more than RM100mil.

It is learnt that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has set up a committee to investigate, and ordered the immediate transfer of at least 12 officers and men, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Also transferred and under investigation are several civilian staff in the finance department.

“We have reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and ACA officers have met our officers, questioned them, and taken away several documents,” he added.

“We have started an internal investigation as we believe we can save the Government hundreds of millions of ringgit by preventing suppliers from providing us with sub-standard products.”

Musa said he believed certain quarters with vested interest had been accepting the goods ordered without conducting proper pre-delivery checks.

The IGP said the committee in the logistics department headed by its director, Commissioner Datuk Mahsuri Zainal, had been scrutinising every single order and found several discrepancies.

Among the equipment or goods rejected recently were boots for the elite SWAT unit, machetes (parangs) for the General Operations Force, evacuation packs for officers and men serving in Timor Leste, beds, road-block signages and cones.

“As a result of the stringent checks, many started writing and hurling allegations and accusations against the members of the committee,” Musa added.

“They are not happy with the stringent procedures now in place as they were used to having it their way, with no questions asked.”

In a related incident, a whistle-blower has alleged that six high-ranking officers from the logistics department had committed malpractices when making purchases worth RM98mil earlier this year.

The whistle-blower detailed at least six instances during the pre-election and election season where the officers were said to have bypassed standard operating procedure when making purchases.

The person made the allegation in a letter to Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation executive council member Tan Sri Robert Phang on July 23.

In the same envelope, the whistle-blower included four copies of the same letter. The person requested Phang to make sure the letters reached Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Internal Security Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Anti-Corruption Agency director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan.