Police investigating RM100mil logistics fraud bid

By LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR: The federal police logistics department has uncovered attempts by unscrupulous suppliers to cheat it in the supply of equipment worth more than RM100mil.

It is learnt that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has set up a committee to investigate, and ordered the immediate transfer of at least 12 officers and men, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Also transferred and under investigation are several civilian staff in the finance department.

“We have reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and ACA officers have met our officers, questioned them, and taken away several documents,” he added.

“We have started an internal investigation as we believe we can save the Government hundreds of millions of ringgit by preventing suppliers from providing us with sub-standard products.”

Musa said he believed certain quarters with vested interest had been accepting the goods ordered without conducting proper pre-delivery checks.

The IGP said the committee in the logistics department headed by its director, Commissioner Datuk Mahsuri Zainal, had been scrutinising every single order and found several discrepancies.

Among the equipment or goods rejected recently were boots for the elite SWAT unit, machetes (parangs) for the General Operations Force, evacuation packs for officers and men serving in Timor Leste, beds, road-block signages and cones.

“As a result of the stringent checks, many started writing and hurling allegations and accusations against the members of the committee,” Musa added.

“They are not happy with the stringent procedures now in place as they were used to having it their way, with no questions asked.”

In a related incident, a whistle-blower has alleged that six high-ranking officers from the logistics department had committed malpractices when making purchases worth RM98mil earlier this year.

The whistle-blower detailed at least six instances during the pre-election and election season where the officers were said to have bypassed standard operating procedure when making purchases.

The person made the allegation in a letter to Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation executive council member Tan Sri Robert Phang on July 23.

In the same envelope, the whistle-blower included four copies of the same letter. The person requested Phang to make sure the letters reached Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Internal Security Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Anti-Corruption Agency director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan.

Source: The Star 30.7.2008