Orang Asli : Of Ramli Yusuff, Musa Hassan, Idris Jala, Goh Cheng Poh, Gani Patail and Kevin Morais. Heroes who were once villians and villians who are now heroes!

steadyaku47 comment : A good read from Orang Asli.

With thanks to Orang Asli

In 2007, Ramli Yusuff, the Director of the CCID, was asked to eradicate the growing loan shark business that was run by the Chinese underworld, which by then had become a national menace. Ramli’s investigation revealed that the then IGP, Musa Hasan, was protecting Goh Cheng Poh a.k.a. Tengku Goh, one of the underworld syndicate bosses.

At the same time, the Malaysian Airlines Managing Director, Idris Jala, asked Ramli to reopen the investigation into Tajudin Ramli’s plundering of the national airlines to the tune of RM2 billion. The then Attorney General, Gani Patail, had earlier closed the case and stamped the file NFA (no further action).

Ramli conducted the investigation on MAS and submitted a report to the then Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, recommending prosecution, which angered Gani. Soon after that the mainstream media began playing up a story about a ‘RM27 million cop’ (a police officer who owned RM27 million in undeclared assets), citing sources from MACC. This was done to basically discredit Ramli and torpedo his investigations into both cases.

Ramli then engaged Rosli Dahlan as his lawyer. In retaliation, Ramli and Rosli were immediately served with notices to declare their assets. Ramli declared all his assets, which disproved the RM27 million undeclared assets allegation. Rosli, too, declared his assets and also challenged the notices as being issued in bad faith.

The late Kevin Morais, on Gani’s orders, then fixed Rosli up by arresting him on the eve of Hari Raya and stories were leaked to the press that Rosli had failed to comply with the notices. When he was produced in court to be charged, Rosli spoke from the dock and accused Kevin of lying and of fixing him. Rosli also accused the media of defaming him and Ramli.

In the end, the charges against Ramli was not for owning RM27 million in undeclared assets but for owning two shop lots worth less than RM1 million, which he bought as a family company’s asset by way of paying only 10% and the balance on loan.

They also fixed up a charge that Ramli had used a police plane to survey his land in Sabah whereas he was actually on official duty escorted by four uniformed officers to survey Sabah’s border with the Philippines.

In 2010, Ramli was acquitted of all charges and the judge even called Musa an “incredible witness whose evidence is not to be trusted” — meaning Musa is a liar.

After Ramli was acquitted, Rosli asked MACC’s Abu Kassim to withdraw the charge against him since Kevin had already testified during Ramli’s trial that Rosli was never a suspect but was just a witness. Gani, however, blocked the withdrawal.

Rosli warned that he would pursue all his perpetrators till kingdom come because it was unfair that he was charged before the main suspect was and now that the main suspect has been acquitted they are not withdrawing the charge against him.

In 2008, Utusan Malaysia published a public apology to Rosli saying that they “had sensationalised and exceeded the parameters of ethical journalism” when reporting his case. Rosli then sued Utusan, Star, NST and MACC for defamation. Utusan and Star apologised in court and also published public apologies and paid undisclosed damages.

NST and MACC were found guilty of defamation and paid RM300,000 in damages. Rosli also sued Utusan and MACC for conspiracy, the case which is still ongoing and has been delayed due to Kevin’s recent death.

So there you have it, those heroes who at one time were villains. But then Malaysians mudah lupa. And if those villains are now heroes, what does that make Rosli, a victim at the hands of the MACC and the AGC?