Lawyers for Daim's widow decry NFA decision as 'unacceptable'
KUALA LUMPUR: The lawyers for Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, widow of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, have described the police's No Further Action (NFA) decision on her report as "unacceptable" and a breach of the rule of law.
Lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal said this in a statement after the police classified the case as NFA recently.
Na'imah lodged the police report on Sept 30 last year, following a Bloomberg News article alleging political interference in the MACC's investigation against Daim.
The article had claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki were involved in a coordinated abuse of investigative powers.
"This sudden NFA decision was conveyed to us via a letter received on June 21 from the Sentul police chief.
"This decision is unacceptable, shocking, and contradicts principles of good governance and the rule of law.
"For nine months, the police and the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) remained silent on Na'imah's police report.
"The NFA decision came only days after she lodged a complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) over the continued failure of authorities to act on her report.
"No information was provided regarding who was questioned, what steps were taken, or the actual reasons behind the NFA decision," said the statement.
The statement said the report contained serious matters of public interest and should not have been dismissed without proper explanation or accountability.
The decision severely undermines the integrity of the police and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), and confirms the deterioration of institutional independence under the current federal administration, it said.
"We will not remain silent or be deterred in our pursuit of justice.
"This matter will be pursued until the truth is revealed and justice is served.
"The Malaysian people deserve institutions that serve the rakyat, not those in power," it added.
Last year, a Bloomberg report, citing sources, claimed that the MACC was instructed to investigate Daim as well as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his sons.
According to the report, the instruction was purportedly given by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a claim the Prime Minister's Office denied.
Anwar had said that the government was considering legal action against Bloomberg over the report that MACC acted on his instructions during investigations into certain individuals.
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