Those arrested in MACC investigation innocent until proven guilty – Riot

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Richard Riot Jaem

KUCHING: Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem has urged the public not to assume that those arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to facilitate investigations in connection with the misappropriation of allocations channeled to the Skills Development Fund Corporation are guilty.

“A person is innocent until proven guilty. (By) Being investigated, it doesn’t mean they are convicted (of a crime). Most people take it that the moment they are remanded by MACC, the first thing they will say is ‘(they) have committed a crime, they are already convicted’. That should not be the way,” he said in Kajang today.

Riot was asked to comment on the arrest of five suspects, including one of his ministry’s political secretaries, to facilitate the ongoing investigations.

MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad yesterday said the MACC arrested the political secretary at 12.30pm.

Dzulkifli said the political secretary was the fifth individual to be arrested in the case.

On Sept 13, MACC arrested four individuals for allegedly embezzling government funds totaling RM40 million, which should be channeled to a skills corporation for training programmes.

Those arrested were a 58-year-old with ‘Datuk’ title, together with a corporate secretary, 34; assistant financial officer, 32, and company director, 38, at several locations in the federal capital during a special MACC operation.

All four individuals were remanded for six days from Sept 14 and were later released on MACC bail.

On the the latest arrest, Riot said the he was just being called in to assist MACC in their investigations.

Despite the case, he said the Skills Development Fund Corporation is still operating as usual.

“But whether there are anymore arrests, I wouldn’t know. In fact, when it was first brought up, I issued a statement that we were caught by surprise. All of us were caught by surprise. In fact it was my ministry’s secretary general who alerted me.”

Nevertheless, Riot said his ministry would let the MACC investigate the case and would give their fullest cooperation.