Melvin withdraws police report, denies getting compensation

KUALA LUMPUR: People’s Volunteer Corps ( Rela) member Melvin Cheong Mun Khai has denied allegations that he accepted compensation from any party following his decision to withdraw a police report he made against a businessman claiming to be a ‘Datuk Seri’ who attacked him and two others.

In a statement issued to the media yesterday, Cheong, 22, said speculations about the compensation had caused him stress and resulted in the public doubting and condemning him.

“I did not get any compensation, whether in the form of money or assets, for withdrawing the police report on Aug 18, 2018,” he said.

Cheong said he withdrew the police report on his own accord because his night-to-morning work commitments made it difficult for him to attend court hearings and to monitor the development of the case.

He said in the midst of the proceedings of the case, Cheong and his two friends agreed that the man claiming to be a ‘ Datuk Seri’ paid the compound in court to settle the charge of injuring them, but the Rela top management forced them to reject the offer.

“In this case, I do not want to be a puppet of certain people, I feel that certain people should not interfere in our decisions,” he said.

On Sept 19, Rela lodged a report with the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission ( MACC) to investigate Cheong’s decision to withdraw the police report made against a man claiming to be a ‘Datuk Seri’.

According to Rela operations director Mohamad Razib Buhaini, the MACC report was made to investigate if there was any violation of integrity or corruption.

However, Cheong said so far the MACC had not called him in to give a statement.

On Sept 7, the Ampang Magistrate’s Court acquitted without discharge a businessman who claimed to be a ‘Datuk Seri’ from two charges of causing injuring and attacking a Rela member from performing his duties last year.

Magistrate Mohamad Firdaus Sadina Ali made the decision after Deputy Public Prosecutor Norhashimah Hashim told the court that one of three victims in the case had withdrawn the police report made against the accused. — Bernama