20. Go after Actors

The Anti-Corruption Agency should be going after the tape actors instead of the informants, said former Sabah ACA chief Mohamad Ramli Abdul Manan who himself was a whistleblower (picture right).

Contacted today, Ramli said the ACA had erred in going after PKR vice-president R Sivarasa and party worker Sim Tze Tzin to reveal the whistleblowers behind the video that has rocked the country’s judiciary.

The retired civil servant with 28 years of experience with the agency explained that the ACA can only go after the whistleblowers if the information is proven false.

“We (the ACA) would only go after the whistleblower when it is proven that the information is false. Only then, can we compel people to reveal who the whistleblower is,” he told Malaysiakini.

Ramli was commenting on the eight-minute video released by PKR three weeks ago that showed a lawyer apparently brokering the appointment of ‘friendly’ judges with another judge in 2002.

Both Sivarasa and Sim then lodged a report with the ACA calling for an investigation into the video.

They were interviewed before being issued the notices to reveal the whistleblowers or face imprisonment.

> Ramli also pointed out that it is important for the ACA to first verify whether the content of the tape is true or false.

> “If it’s true, then we get the evidence to prove whether the conversation did actually take place.

> “The tape is merely to support the evidence. The main evidence would come from the person saying those words on the video.

> However, Ramli stressed that the ACA will protect their informants at all cost.

“We protect our informants whether the information is true or not. We would never disclose their identity unless they are willing to come forward voluntarily,” he said. Excerpts from Malaysiakini.

Meanwhile theSun reports Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president R. Sivarasa and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s personal assistant Sim Tze Tzin would rather be jailed than expose the source of a controversial video clip that implicates the judiciary.

Sivarasa said they were willing to serve a jail term "so as to honour our promise to protect" the source’s identity and ensure the person’s safety.

Sivarasa was interviewed by Putrajaya ACA special action division senior superintendent Chua Ley Choo, while Sim was queried by division enforcer Premraj Victor.

"We take the stand that issuing the notices was a misuse of power and not valid legally," said Sivarasa, adding that the source’s identity was not relevant.

"It does not take a rocket scientist to know that you only need to call in a technical expert to verify the authenticity of the video, instead of having the source or a three-man panel confirm it," Sivarasa said.


With the tape, please establish a case than a no case. In the Nurin's probe, Police sought help from the US FBI's forensics laboratory in Washington to enhance the video footage. Should any agency(s) require any help in this case of great national importance, please shout out, and we the bloggers will try to help.