Ex-top cop urges Najib to set up tribunal to clear fabrication claims in ‘black eye’ incident
(TMI) – Former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim has made a second statutory declaration (SD) to pressure Datuk Seri Najib Razak set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations over the fabrication of evidence in the 1998 black eye incident involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, the former deputy prime minister who was sacked and arrested in 1998 before appearing in court days later with a bruised eye, had lodged a police report in 2008 against Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hasan, Kuala Lumpur Hospital pathologist Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof and Mat Zain, who handled the probe into the fabrication of evidence in Anwar’s ‘black eye’ case.
Gani was senior Deputy Public Proscutor (DPP) in 1998 during Anwar’s first sodomy trial, while Musa was then the investigating officer.
In his latest SD, Mat Zain said the RCI was important as Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has stated in one of his affidavits that there was a cover-up in the black eye incident.
Shafee, appointed to lead Putrajaya’s appeal to overturn the second sodomy acquittal of Anwar, had filed affidavits on December 10 and 18 last year, in response to Anwar’s application to disqualify him on grounds of conflict of interest.
Gani appointed Shafee as ad-hoc DPP in July last year as the AG did not want his officers to handle the appeal to allay any allegation of bias.
Mat Zain said not only Shafee had lied in the December 10 affidavit but the contents raised important questions and more controversy over the issue. Among others, he said it overturned Putrajaya’s decision in 2009 on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) findings following Anwar’s report. He also said Shafee’s affidavit stated that Gani risked being prosecuted for abuse of power.
