PETALING JAYA, March 15 — Once a cop, always a cop. And Datuk Ramli Yusuff (picture), who was acquitted of not disclosing his assets last week, intends to report for duty at Bukit Aman although he reached retirement age of 58 on March 1.
In the event he is told to retire, Ramli wants his pension, gratuity and all retirement benefits befitting his rank of Police Commissioner.
“I hope to meet the Home Minister before reporting in, to see what advice he gives me,” the Former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Director told The Malaysian Insider last night after holding a doa selamat or thanksgiving prayers at his Petaling Jaya home.
Ramli explained that he was informed he would be suspended until his case was over after he was charged on Nov 2, 2007 for not disclosing information about his assets.
“So I am still a police officer and I have to report. It is up to government to decide if I should continue (on contract) or retire.
“I want a proper send off, because I know I was fixed,” Ramli said, citing legal constraints when declining to elaborate on his case.
He pointed out that the judgment for his case was supposed to have been delivered on Feb 24 but was somehow delayed till last Friday.
“Had I been acquitted on Feb 24, I would have reported in the very next day.”
The veteran police officer was charged with failing to declare ownership of 20,000 Telekom Malaysia Berhad shares, 154,000 Permaju Industries Berhad shares and interest in two office properties worth RM1,032,840.
He was also charged separately in the Kota Kinabalu Sessions court for allegedly using police aircraft to view two pieces of property in which he was alleged to have had an interest in.
That case also ended in an acquittal for Ramli last July 27 after Sessions Court Judge Supang Lian ruled that, “The prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case and the accused deserves to be acquitted and discharged.’’
The prosecution is appealing both cases.
“What are they trying to prove? Haven’t I been through enough? Why do they need to appeal?” he asked.
Having served the force with distinction, the police veteran pointed out that both cases could have been handled internally by the police disciplinary board.
“Instead they choose to play with my life after 38-year-of service. They should not have treated me like this,” Ramli said.
He lamented that as senior police officer, former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could have just called him but that courtesy was not extended to him.
“Pak Lah was the Home Minister, I was third most senior police officer in the force, he could have at least called me and I could have explained,” he said, using the popular dimunitive for the former premier.
Ramli, who has a law degree, pointed out he was the longest serving Investigating Officer that has served both the Criminal and Commercial Crime Investigation Departments.
Among his top cases was the Jean Pereira murder, where the court allowed a conviction based on circumstantial evidence for the first time.
He added his investigation diary for the case is now a manual for police officers in training.
He pointed out that even Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had once served directly under him for six years.
Ramli was deputy director of the CID at the time while Musa was head of prosecution.
“At one time, I treated him like my own brother. I never expected this sort of treatment.”
As for the future, Ramli said he has to rebuild his life and reputation from scratch.
“I hope they let me live in peace to do it,” he added.
Dozens of serving and retired police officers, among them former Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Dell Akbar Khan attended the doa selamat prayers last night.
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