Bernama -- The MACC will not press charges over eight high-profile cases the commission investigated, including those involving Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
Mohd Ali was investigated for alleged money politics when contesting the Umno deputy president's post at the party's polls last year while Abdul Khalid for allegedly abusing state funds to buy 46 cows to be donated for the Aidiladha sacrifice in his parliamentary constituency, Bandar Tun Razak.
Deputy MACC chief Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull said, however, there had been no decision yet whether Khalid would be charged over another case where he is alleged to have abused state funds for maintenance of his Lexus car with the registration number WQR 779 and that the investigation papers were now with the public prosecutor.
The other cases concerned alleged abuse of power by former Perak Speaker V Sivakumar who suspended Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and six Perak Barisan Nasional executive councillors from attending state assembly sittings; Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk T Murugiah (alleged money politics in PPP's polls); former Penang deputy chief minister Mohamad Fairus Khairuddin (alleged links with illegal quarrying in Penang).
Also dropped were the cases concerning Penang's Jawi assemblyman Tan Beng Huat (alleged abuse of assemblyman's allocations); Selangor's Batu Tiga assemblywoman Rodziah Ismail (alleged abuse of state funds) and two Parti Keadilan Rakyat supreme councillors who are alleged to have attempted to bribe Aminah Abdullah, an independent candidate in the Penanti by-election.
Mohd Shukri said the public prosecutor decided not to pursue the cases against the eight after evaluating the investigation papers submitted by the MACC.
"MACC's Operations Review Panel has been updated as to why the cases cannot be pursued and all the panel's seven members are satisfied with the explanation provided by both the MACC and the public prosecutor," he told reporters here today.
Mohd Shukri, however, said this did not mean that all of the cases were entirely free of corruption, but lack of witnesses and evidence prevented the commission from building "air tight" cases to enable conviction.
"Evidence available must be able to meet the 90% requirement needed for prosecution, only then can the prosecution proceed to press charges. The public prosecutor cannot bring a case that is weak to court," he said.
As such, he urged anyone with evidence on the eight cases to come forward and help the MACC to build cases that could lead to conviction.
He said these cases could be reopened if fresh witnesses or evidence was made available.
Asked about other high profile cases including those that involved former Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, PPP president Datuk M Kayveas and the one relating to the Middle Ring Road 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Mohd Shukri said the investigations had been completed and forwarded to the public prosecutor to decide whether charges should be pressed.
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