Raid on legal firm an abuse of power, say Perikatan leaders

PETALING JAYA: The recent raid by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on a legal firm that represents Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is an abuse of power, say coalition leaders.

Muhyiddin himself has described the raid on the offices of Rosli Dahlan Saravana (RDS) as an abuse of power by the anti-graft agency.

During a ceramah in Pelangai on Friday (Oct 6) night, Muhyiddin urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to stop the intimidation against opposition leaders and to focus on improving the country’s economy instead.

“This is an abuse of power. He is a lawyer who is defending me. What is the purpose of the MACC going there (for a raid).

“This looks as if there is something that is going to happen. This is an abuse of power by certain people,” he said, quoted by Utusan Malaysia on Saturday (Oct 7).

Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah echoed the same sentiment, saying that a lawyer is an officer of the court protected by law as they have a duty to uphold justice.

Saifuddin claimed that the raid is a series of acts of miscarriage of justice against Muhyiddin by using the MACC as a tool to abuse the agency’s power.

“The abuse of power against a lawyer who is performing his duty to defend his client and to uphold justice is a dark period in the country’s justice system,” he said on Friday in Bentong, according to Sinar Harian.

On Friday, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that an investigation had been carried out against a lawyer involved in the government’s efforts to recover the assets of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

He said the lawyer involved was one of several individuals investigated under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorist Financing and Illicit Proceeds Act 2001.

It was reported that Muhyiddin’s personal lawyer Rosli claimed that the MACC raided his law firm at 10.30am.

According to Rosli, a total of 12 MACC officers raided the Rosli Dahlan Saravana (RDS) law firm demanding investigative powers to access its entire office.