Help police probe claims, Rewcastle-Brown urged
KUALA LUMPUR: Police yesterday urged Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle-Brown to come forward to assist investigations into claims that lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had received a RM9.5 million payment during Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said more than 40 reports had been received against the Sarawak Report article that highlighted the claims and included allegations that the payment was made from the personal account of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“I hope that Rewcastle-Brown will come here to assist us in the investigation so that we can record her statement.
“She should also produce the supporting evidence and documents which she has obtained, as stated in the Sarawak Report article.
“She cannot just publish them (in the Sarawak Report). It is not fair.
“If you want to bring up an issue, you should come forward and support your allegation with some evidence,” he said.
Khalid was speaking to reporters at the federal police headquarters here yesterday after the handover of 3,864 Raya packets that would be distributed to police officers who would be deployed during the Hari Raya celebration.
He said police had yet to question Shafee as they were looking through the reports.
Sarawak Report, in a May 31 article, claimed that Shafee, who was appointed as the public prosecutor during the appeal against the acquittal of Anwar on sodomy charges in 2014, had received payments on Sept 11, 2013 (RM4.3 million) and Feb 17, 2014 (RM5.2 million).
Anwar, who was then the opposition leader and Permatang Pauh member of parliament, was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomy on March 7, 2014, after the Court of Appeal overturned his previous acquittal, ruling that the trial judge erred in rejecting DNA evidence that had been adduced.
The three-man bench comprising Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi, Datuk Aziah Ali and Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh had unanimously ruled that the High Court failed to “critically evaluate” the evidence submitted by government chemist Dr Seah Lay Hong.