©Malay Mail (Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 ― The Malaysian Bar reiterated its demand for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) after an alleged death in custody in Melaka and the exposure of a purported culture of corruption in the police force.
Malaysian Bar president George Varughese said the peninsular legal body was troubled by a New Sunday Times report that revealed how high–ranking police officers would allegedly demand that their subordinates, like district police chiefs, “sponsor” them whenever they visited, including preparing their accommodation, food and entertainment, regardless of whether they came for official business or not.
The report last Sunday came after nine police officers, including two district police chiefs in Melaka, were arrested by the Malaysian Anti–Corruption Commission (MACC) following complaints from other police officers that they were pressured to collect bribes from operators of illegal gaming outlets and massage parlours in the state.
“Action must be taken immediately to get to the bottom of the unabated occurrence of deaths in police custody and the allegations of graft within the police force, which are very grave concerns that must not be ignored,” George said in a statement.
“In order for the investigation to be credible and effective, it must be conducted not by the police force itself, but by an external and independent party,” he added.
The police have since undertaken a revamp and transfer exercise involving 15 police officers of the Melaka contingent.
George also highlighted the Malaysian Bar’s shock at the death of a 34–year–old man, allegedly in custody, who was held by police in Melaka under the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.
He noted that K. Partiban was reportedly already dead when police brought him to the hospital Monday.
“To our knowledge, four other deaths in police custody have allegedly occurred in 2017: those of Mohd Izham Abdul Rahman, aged 39, S Balamurugan s/o M Suppiah, aged 44, Soh Kai Chiok, aged 49, and Thanaseelan Muniandy, aged 43,” said George.
National newswire Bernama reported Melaka police chief Datuk Abd Jalil Hassan as saying yesterday that Partiban had died while receiving treatment at the Melaka Hospital.