Former Special Branch Deputy Director: those in power were willing to do anything to ensure that 1MDB investigations were stopped using diversionary tactics

Hamid: Coup plot talk just a diversion

FMT Reporters | October 4, 2015



Former SB deputy director describes 'wicked' attempts to confuse the public and stop 1MDB investigation





KUALA LUMPUR: Government leaders have been accused of trying to divert public attention from 1Malaysia Development Bhd with talk of a plot to overthrow the government.

Former Special Branch deputy director Abdul Hamid Bador said those in power were willing to do anything to ensure that 1MDB investigations were stopped. “In line with that effort, they are confusing the public with a stale script of a supposed conspiracy to topple the government,” he was quoted as saying in an open letter released to the press.

Hamid said the talk of the plot did not make sense and described it as wicked. “Who wants to topple the government? Supposedly it’s the Chinese who are taking power?,” he said. “So wicked is the diversionary tactic used by these robbers – from criminal breach of trust to a racial issue.”

He noted that the public merely wanted an explanation from the prime minister, Najib Razak, about 1MDB and whether it had borrowed RM4 billion from the civil service pension fund.

However, answers had not been forthcoming, and instead the public were asked to give 1MDB six months to resolve its issues, while at the same time investigations were met by various obstacles.

Hamid himself was transferred to the Prime Minister’s Department, which he had claimed was an attempt to silence him about 1MDB.

He said Special Branch leaders were moving to discredit him, and that he was being portrayed as being upset and selfish at not being appointed as the director. “Supposedly, I was ungrateful when my request to retire early was rejected by the IGP,” he said, and asked rhetorically when he had asked for early retirement.

He said he had told his former subordinates that he was unwilling to continue if he had to do the “dirty work” of rescuing those who he alleged had been robbing 1MDB.

However this did not mean that he no longer wanted to serve in the force, but had asked to be kept on at federal headquarters “at least in the Integrity and Procedure Compliance Department” where he could contribute towards eradicating corruption.