Former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, is ready to be investigated for any issues which arose before GE14.
He said he was aware that his name and that of the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Apandi Ali, had been earmarked as among those who could be investigated by the new Federal government over the 1MDB issue, among others.
“I am still duty bound to cooperate in any official matters, including investigations conducted against me,” he was quoted as saying.
However, he declined to comment further on any further action which may take place. He also said he was unaware of any travel restrictions placed on him.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that Apandi and Khalid could come under investigation for the roles they played in the 1MDB probe.
Khalid was one of four senior government officers who was instructed to conduct a probe into 1MDB investments and finances. The others were former Bank Negara Malaysia Governor, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz; former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed; and former Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
Khalid, 61, retired from the police force last September. He is now the chairman of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, which owns public transport operators such as RapidKL.
On May 10, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad made it clear that heads must fall when he spoke about forming a new Cabinet.
“Certain heads must fall. We find that some people are aiding and abetting the Prime Minister the world describes as kleptocrat,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference.
The next day, the new Prime Minister went one step further by naming those who would go.
He said he will “look into” Attorney-General Apandi, former Inspector-General of Police Khalid, Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
“Our intention is to go for people who have shown a tendency to be corrupt or who have committed known corrupt acts,” said Dr Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir said the AG has undermined his own credibility by hiding evidence of wrongdoings.
“That is wrong in law,” he said.
He also said the new government would look into the conduct of EC chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah.
“If we find he is involved in some corrupt practices, bias and all that, we will have to take action against him,” he said.
He had also suggested that the EC had manipulated the election in Sabah with regard to numerous recounts being carried out.
Dr Mahathir said that the government would also study whether the MACC had acted fairly.
He also said the MACC’s lack of transparency could be seen during GE14.
“The MACC seems to ignore the fact that corruption was rife.
“We have pictures showing that people were involved in corruption.
“For example, in the last two days there were no speeches made but instead money was distributed.
“We will properly investigate all these things,” he said.
“If we find that they are biased or in favour of any group, including ourselves, we will have to change them,” he said, adding that new heads of government agencies will be vetted by Parliament.
Dr Mahathir said it was not about revenge, and that any action taken against agency heads would be done in accordance with the laws of the country.
Claims have been made on social media that several high-ranking people had been barred from leaving the country and their bank accounts frozen.
There is even a fake list of who is being targeted – from GLC heads to secretaries-general and heads of agencies.
Dr Mahathir promised that appointments of the heads of government institutions will go through Parliament from now on.
Meanwhile, former Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah has urged Malaysians to hold the EC accountable for its “inefficiency” in managing GE14.
“The rakyat of this country has spoken and it is now time for us to chase our dreams for a brighter future.
“At the same time, we should not set aside or forget the inefficiency shown by the EC in handling this election,” she said in a statement.
Maria won the Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat under PKR’s banner in the election.
Well-known political analyst Karim Raslan also took a swipe at the EC chairman on TV.
“What are you doing? You should just resign. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of there. You have done the most shameful thing, you have let us all down (and) the people of Malaysia,” he said.
“We’ve all been waiting for you to make these announcements and there are 47 seats to come. And what is going on in Sabah? We’ve been asking this. How is that Sarawak, this enormous state, the head of the SPR, could have sorted it all out.
“That guy, who is the head of the SPR of Sarawak, should be running the country’s SPR.
“This is despicable, absolutely appalling, and what I would like to know is that what are the pressures behind you? Who’s whispering in your ears?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBquwuo0zDA
“This is the kind of ridiculous rubbish that we have to see the end of today.
“Semuanya setuju ya? Rubbish! This kind of manipulation going behind the scenes.
“Just tell it straight. We are a very mature, sensible people, we’ll just move on,” he said.
Karim was a panellist in an Astro Awani broadcast.
Mohd Hashim had been slowly announcing the GE14 results on the same channel late on polling night.
He also condemned the MACC, which he accused of turning a blind eye to money politics during the official election campaigning period.
On Friday, MACC gave its assurance that it would investigate all reports of corruption during GE14.
“There were reports that some have allegedly received bribes throughout the GE14 season, including during the campaigning period. Some reports were true and some false.
“Those who lodged reports also included pictures and videos.
“MACC would like to assure everyone that we will investigate these allegations and look into the pictures and videos. We need to identify the location, suspect and receiver of the alleged case of corruption.
“This is because many of the visuals showed the person received an envelope, and we don’t know the content in the envelope. So we need to get a statement and investigate the recipients,” MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki told the New Straits Times.