MACC denies surrounding police station before detaining five cops

GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) denied reports on social media that it had surrounded the Air Itam police station before detaining five personnel on duty there, early yesterday.

Penang MACC director Datuk M. Samarajoo said the raid was conducted according to existing laws, and in accordance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the commission.

“MACC officers involved in the operation did not surround the police station as reported or neither did their act roughly against the police personnel who were detained, but instead, they entered through the main entrance, introduced themselves and presented their authority card before detaining the five suspects,” he told Bernama, here, yesterday.

Several social media reports yesterday reported that the Penang MACC had closed in on the police station before detaining five police personnel who were believed to have been involved in corruption.

According to media reports, those arrested during the raid at about 3am were believed to have been involved in a corruption case that involved a large sum of money.

Samarajoo said there was no struggle during the arrest which included a woman, since all the suspects were cooperative during investigations.

“Actually, the matter (of surrounding the station) did not arise at all, and the raid was a regular operation carried out by the MACC after receiving a complaint. The raid was also not a special operation that was planned earlier,” he said.

He also urged the public to not speculate about the case and allow the MACC to investigate the case under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009. Bernama yesterday reported that four policemen and a woman constable from the Air Itam police station were detained during a raid early on Saturday morning, and released after recording their statements.

They were alleged to have accepted money from a man to settle a car theft case. - Bernama