Crime & Courts

CIA letter: Former MEIO director lodges police report

KUALA LUMPUR: Former director-general of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation Malaysia (MEIO) Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid lodged a police report on the alleged letter sent to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the US.

The report was lodged at the Travers police station at 1pm, here, today.

Also present was Hasanah's lawyer Datuk Shaharuddin Ali.

Meanwhile, attempts to get Hasanah outside the station for comments failed, however it is understood that a press conference would be held later by her lawyer.

A statement is expected to be read out by Shaharuddin, in the presence of Hasanah and two other lawyers; Tan Sri Abd Aziz Abd Rahman and Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz.

It is expected to address questions pertaining to an alleged letter sent to the CIA on May 4 which was revealed recently.

Last Friday, Hasanah in a statement said she would lodge a police report on the alleged letter after being advised by her lawyer to do so.

"For the past few days, I have been observing and take note of the press report that sparked controversy on a letter sent by me as MEIO director-general to the CIA.

"I was advised by my lawyer to make a police report and in the near future, will release a statement to explain the matter," Hasanah had said.

The media previously reported that Hasanah had signed a three-page letter dated May 4, addressed to Gina Haspel.

In the letter, MEIO that was operating behind the Research Department of the Prime Minister's Department was alleged to have asked the US to support the administration of then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should Barisan Nasional (BN) obtain an easy win or a win by just one seat in the 14th General Election (GE14).

The organisation had depicted Najib as a progressive and US-friendly leader in the letter, and that he would continue to support US presence in this region.

Without the presence of Najib as the leader of Malaysia, the organisation hinted that the US could potentially lose a trusted ally in South East Asia, in light of the Philippines cutting ties with the superpower.

Singapore and Brunei were too small to make an impact while Thailand and Indonesia were busy with their domestic issues, the letter was alleged to have remarked.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who at the time was leading the Opposition coalition was painted as an anti-West, anti-Jewish and autocratic leader as well one who harshly silences his critiques.

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