KUALA LUMPUR: Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Rahim Noor has refuted claims that the police had a role to play in the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister in 1998.
Commenting on claims by Dr Mahathir that police had influenced him to sack Anwar, Rahim told NSTP that the former prime minister’s allegation was false.
He said an investigation was made based on a police report lodged by a person who was sodomised by Anwar. Police, he said, never influenced Dr Mahathir into making the decision to sack his deputy.
“The police only opened an investigation over the claim. Once that was completed, the outcome of the probe was handed over to the Attorney General’s Chambers.
“After that, the AG’s Chambers was the one that decided that there was a case, and continued to pursue it in court until it went to trial. So, how exactly did the police play a role which led to Anwar’s sacking” he said.
Rahim said, police’s role ended when the investigation was completed, and it never attempted to convince Dr Mahathir to sack Anwar.
He said, if the act of investigating the case is seen as a ‘influencing’ factor, then there is no longer any need for police’s function as an authority responsible for investigating any complaint.
“Among the police’s duties is to investigate any police report, regardless of who lodges it. It is wrong if we (police) were to ignore any report made.
“So I don’t see how the investigation can play a role in coming to that decision (sacking Anwar) as it (investigating) is the duty of the police.
“Police’s responsibility ends when the investigation paper is completed and handed over to the AG for prosecution,” he said.
Rahim said he doesn’t know why the investigation is being used as an excuse by Dr Mahathir to sack Anwar, as the verdict whether someone is guilty or innocent lies with the court.
“I don’t know what his motive is. As far as I know, police only carries out its responsibility,” he said.
Dr Mahathir, in an interview with Sin Chew Daily last Sunday, had accused the police of influencing him when he was prime minister to sack Anwar, who was his deputy, over sodomy and corruption.
Dr Mahathir, who is now president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, claimed that he had no choice but to sack Anwar after police had presented to him evidence of Anwar’s wrongdoing.