MACC men include ‘abuser’, ‘bully’ and ‘the arrogant leader’

RCI names MACC men as ‘abuser’, ‘bully’ and ‘the arrogant leader’
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
July 21, 2011

The Royal Commission appointed to nvestigate Teoh Beng Hock's death concluded that most MACC officers in its Selangor office were prone to lying apart from being abusers and bullies.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death said that “Arman the bully” would “manipulate his witness to obtain evidence.”

“Ashraf the abuser.” it said, was described as Machiavellian in his method to secure evidence.

But what was most damning in the report’s assessment of MACC methods was their description of the deputy director for Selangor Hishammuddin Hashim.

“HH the arrogant leader who would have no qualms about lying as long as his ends were achieved, regardless of the means employed,” the report said.

As a boss, Hishammuddin was also said to instill fear among his officers.

Under Hishammuddin, most officers also had the inevitable habit of lying, the report concluded.

Below are the panel’s other remarks:

• “TBH appeared to have been propelled into a fear-inducing situation as shown by the pattern of calls that he made when the MACC officers were conducting their investigations into the office. He needed reassurance form his colleagues... he was pacified when given the chance by Anuar to discuss his concerns privately for a few minutes with both YB and Manoharan in the SUK building before he was taken away to the Selangor office but when not allowed to see them after that he was cut off from outside world

• “Taking away his mobilephone would have meant robbing him of his means to reality and sanity. And the MACC officers did just that. Thus for the first time in his life, TBH found himself totally and completely isolated from the outside world and thrust into desolation... This was a gross violation of TBH’s personal right, whch would have compounded his anxiety and worry

• “Arman and Ashraf behaved like inquisitors in an inquisition at the second stage of the interrogation. They instilled doubts and fears into TBH as regards the Treasury directives... TBH had to face MACC interrogation heavyweights like Arman the bully [who would manipulate his witness to obtain evidence], Ashraf the abuser [who was Machiavellian in his method to secure evidence] and HH the arrogant leader [who would have no qualms in lying as long as the ends were achieved, regardless of the means employed].

• The RCI noted that HH had been described by his fellow officers as a “workaholic” and an ambitious person who put fear in his colleagues, “Thus, it was not at all surprising that most of his officers... had the inevitable habit of lying.

• “By the time the fourth or final stage of the interrogation was over, TBH would have been almost a mental and physical wreck.”

SOURCE: The Malaysian Insider