GOMBAK: A district police chief has come to the defence of his men, saying that a lawyer who claimed intimidation had misunderstood his officers’ intention.
Gombak OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the officers were merely trying to ensure the safety of Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and her client who was detained at the Gombak district police headquarters in Selayang under the Emergency Ordinance on May 4.
“My men were instructed to monitor Fadiah’s client, a suspect in an ongoing investigation over his alleged involvement in a motorcycle theft syndicate.”
ACP Abdul Rahim said when Fadiah had requested for privacy with her client, the officers told her that they had to be there to avoid similar incidents “like the deaths at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)”.
“In no way did my men criminally intimidated Fadiah,” ACP Abdul Rahim told The Star, adding that Fadiah had yet to lodge a police report over the issue.
When told that she had highlighted the alleged incident at a press conference the next day, he replied: “When you think your life is at stake, you must lodge a police report immediately.”
ACP Abdul Rahim was commenting on a call by Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee for the police to stop harassing lawyers who were meeting their clients.
On Saturday, The Star had reported Lim’s statement in which he cited Fadiah’s allegations that an officer had threatened her by making references to the deaths at the MACC.