‘Dr M punished me for Kasitah probe’

‘Dr M punished me for Kasitah probe’
Soon Li Tsin and Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Mar 10, 07 11:34am



Mohamad Ramli Abdul Manan’s last major assignment as Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) officer was investigating allegations of corruption involving former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam.

Soon after he and his team of 15 officers had completed the probe, he was moved out his post as Sabah ACA chief.


He believed it was former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who ordered him to be transferred out of Sabah and put in cold storage at the ACA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

“I think (it was) Mahathir because when I ask them (ACA officers), they said it was orders from high up. That was in 2000,” he told malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

“A few Sabah ministers went to see Mahathir but I have no proof (of that). I asked ‘why are you all treating me like this’, and they said orders from the top. Who else?”

Since last week, Ramli has been in the media spotlight for his claims that his ex-boss, ACA director-general Zulkipli Mat Noor - the country’s top anti-graft fighter - was himself corrupt.

The revelations came from a report sent last year by Ramli to then IGP Bakri Omar.


The report, first published by malaysiakini, contained explosive allegations against Zulkipli - ranging from corruption to sexual assault.

Zulkipli (left) - who has been ACA chief over the past six years - has denied the allegations. A special task force involving the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers has since been set up to probe Ramli’s allegations.

However, Ramli told malaysiakini that the AG’s Chambers should not have been involved in the investigation on Zulkipli as the two are close friends.


“Both were recruited by Mahathir. At that time, Gani Patail (left) was the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) and Zul was the special branch (SB) chief in Sabah.”

No confidence in ACA

The 56-year-old father of four expressed bitter disappointment that the reputation of the agency which he served for close to three decades had drastically deteriorated.


“In 1978, you hardly hear of a minister who was corrupt. That time was before Mahathir. In those days, ministers are scared, but now they know that they can get away. Now, it (corruption) is nothing to them.”

Ramli also lamented the lack of the agency’s independence, and ticked off the attorney-general for not following up investigation reports filed by ACA.

“This should not be the case because (Abdul Gani) as the AG should look at the evidence. If there is evidence, they should act on it. The decision must be based on the evidence. If the evidence is sufficient, (and the AG can) prove that there is a prima facie case, you cannot withhold consent.”

According to Ramli, he no longer has confidence in the organisation which he had worked for 28 years.

“Somebody has to fight the system. You have to say, ‘look what you're doing is wrong.’ If the system is not benefitting the organisation, you have to do something.”

In taking on his ex-boss, Ramli is showing that he is walking his talk.