Lfl Continue Assault Probe Govt Must Ensure No Interference

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Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has called on the police to continue with their investigation into the allegation that a bodyguard of a royal assaulted a disabled person.
“The government must ensure there is no interference with the investigation.
“The integrity of our laws and its enforcers are at stake and any misstep will surely lead to a complete mistrust in the administration of justice in our country,” said LFL director Zaid Malek in a statement.
Agreeing with PKR lawmaker Hassan Karim, he also emphasised that there is no such thing as a “settlement” in a criminal case.
He said when a police report is lodged, the authorities are duty-bound to probe the matter.
“Section 3(3) of the Police Act 1967 tasks the police with the preservation of the peace and security of Malaysia, the prevention and detection of crime and the apprehension and prosecution of offenders,” he added.
On that note, Zaid said this duty cannot be disregarded simply because a police report was filed “settling or retracting” the initial report of the crime.
If this was allowed, he argued, then those in power could exert it to coerce any report filed against them to be retracted.
“It will lead to the breakdown of our criminal justice system, making the criminal laws a mere farce,” he added.
Victim’s allegation
Yesterday, Bukit Aman CID chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the alleged victim filed a report at 1pm on Tuesday and the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code.
Section 323 involves voluntarily causing hurt, which carries a jail term which may extend to one year, or with a fine which may extend to RM2,000 or both.
However, Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Mohd Isa issued a statement later that the man had lodged another report at 9.45pm on the same day to state that he did not want to prolong the matter.
“(The report) stated that the issue has been resolved amicably and he did not want to prolong the matter,” he said. - Mkini

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