IGP: Sarawak Report ‘cooking up’ story about racketeer’s police connection

(MMO) – The national police chief accused Sarawak Report today of “cooking up” a story about the alleged police connections of a suspected intermediary in a protection racket in Melaka.

News portal Malaysiakinireported Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar as dismissing a question on whether it was suspicious for the alleged intermediary to have called a senior police officer from an anti-vice taskforce frequently.

“The comments made by Sarawak Report (were meant to) deliberately create suspicion in the community,” Khalid was quoted saying at a press conference in Bukit Aman.

“A lot of people have called me every day, just to wish me ‘good morning, sir’, ‘how are you today’ and wishing me well. I (think I have received) hundreds of calls every morning. Is that suspicious? You can check my phone and make an analysis from it.

“If you want to say that calls are something suspicious, well, I have commented about this and I don’t want to entertain (anymore). Sarawak Report has made up a non-sensible story,” he added.

London-based whistleblower Sarawak Report claimed yesterday that the civilian suspect in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation on the protection racket in Melaka had called the anti-vice police officer at least 36 times in January and February.

Khalid admitted last month that he and his family personally knew the suspected intermediary in the protection racket.

The MACC has arrested 13 individuals since last May, including two district police chiefs in Melaka, in a corruption investigation on police officers who allegedly collected “protection money” from the operators of illegal gambling centres and massage parlours in the state.