Home minister denies cops behind murder attempt on crime buster

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi rubbished today talk of the police being responsible for the shooting of crime watchdog activist, R. Sri Sandeevan, who is now battling for his life in a Negri Sembilan hospital.

The home minister, who oversees the police force, was prompted to defend the men in blue after a their former boss, retired Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had suggested dirty officers were behind yesterday's shooting incident in a bid to silence Sanjeevan.

"I know Sanjeevan personally and I will make sure that there are no police involved in the incident," Ahmad Zahid (picture) was quoted by The Malaysian Insider news portal as telling reporters after breaking fast at the Sungai Buloh prison.

The minister vowed he would step up investigations on the shooting and haul in the culprits that had put a bullet into Sanjeevan.

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Parliament: Home Ministry takes death in custody very seriously, says Zahid Hamidi

Home Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said the Home Ministry was taking the issue of deaths in custody "very seriously".

Responding to Datuk Johari Abdul (Sg Petani-PKR)'s question in Parliament, Zahid promised that his Ministry would not protect any party suspected of causing death in police custody.

"Any incident will be investigated. Action will be taken by the Home Ministry," he said on Wednesday, adding that there had been 231 cases of death in lock-up from 2000 to mid 2013.

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Kit Siang: Why has Zahid not faced ‘criminal’ charges?

New Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi may be a “criminal”, Lim Kit Siang suggested today, reminding Malaysians that the Umno leader had yet to clear his name against allegations of assault in 2006.

The DAP adviser agreed with Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo who said last week that it was improper to place Zahid in a position where he has great influence over enforcement bodies like the police and prisons when the latter still had such charges hanging over him.

“A response from Najib to Gobind’s query is in order,” Lim said in a statement, referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, “... especially as he is the first prime minister to specifically appoint a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department to be specifically responsible for integrity and good governance.”

Former Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Paul Low was recently appointed to Najib’s Cabinet and placed in charge of corruption and integrity.

“Paul Low... should also declare whether he agrees that Zahid should stand down as home minister until he has fully cleared himself of the serious charges of assault going back to January 2006 when he was deputy information minister,” Lim said.

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Kid glove treatment for suspect cops proof of bias, says MP

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was chided today for doling out preferential treatment to police officers suspected of having a hand in lock-up deaths instead of prioritising justice for the families of the victims, which an opposition MP warned served only to demoralise the public further towards law enforcement.

The DAP’s Gobind Singh Deo (picture) censured the home minister for getting his priorities reversed, highlighting the latter’s reported remark that action against policemen linked to custodial deaths “must be done delicately to avoid demoralising the police force”. “With respect, this is utter nonsense,” the Puchong MP said in a statement, adding that such treatment “proves yet again what we have been saying in the past which is that the government practises double standards when it comes to deaths in custody.”

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