Former Special Branch contract worker Saiful Bahari, said to be a key witness in the disappearance of social activist Amri Che Mat is not a police personnel, says Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
The Inspector-General of Police said this in response to questions on whether the police would issue an arrest warrant against the man in order to get him to help with police investigations.
“He was not a policeman. He was a civilian working with the police.
“He has since resigned from his job,” he told a press conference today.
“We have referred the matter to the Deputy Public Prosecutor. We will wait for the DPP’s instruction,” he said.
The inquiry into Amri’s disappearance 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.
Saiful failed to testify at the inquiry, prompting Suhakam to accuse the police of not cooperating.
Previously, Fuzi said it was unfair to accuse the police of lacking the initiative to locate witnesses.
“To say that we had no initiative to call and ensure the person came forward, all these are unfair accusations,” he said, adding that the police had tried without success to locate the missing witnesses.
Apart from Saiful, restaurant owner Saiful Afdzan also failed to appear when called to testify in the public inquiry.
The top cop maintained today that no Special Branch officers from the federal police took part in the “enforced disappearance of Amri.
Fuzi had been the head of the police’s intelligence unit at the time of Amri’s abduction in late 2016.
The Human Right Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) previously concluded that Special Branch personnel were likely involved in the “enforced disappearance” of Amri and pastor Raymond Koh in February of 2017.