Police rebut Sarikei MP and lawyer over theft case

Dato Mancha Ata

KUCHING (June 13): All police investigations are carried out holistically to ensure an equitable outcome, said Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Mancha Ata.

He said this in response to an article published by a local Chinese daily on June 11 which quoted Sarikei MP Andrew Wong Ling Biu and a lawyer, Wong Ling Beng, who questioned the police’s inability to recover stolen items in a theft case.

“Allegations that the police did not conduct an investigation meticulously so as not to be able to find all the lost items are not well-founded, malicious and deliberately seeking to tarnish the image as well as the credibility of PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police),” Mancha said in a statement yesterday.

In the said article, the duo highlighted the police’s alleged inability to recover items stolen from a premises at Jalan Wharf, Sarikei on April 25 this year.

Mancha said an investigation paper was opened under Section 457 of the Penal Code for house trespass or housebreaking in order to commit an offence.

“On that same day, police managed to arrest a 29-year-old male suspect and confiscated a total of 104 Buddhist amulet pendants, a silver chain, and four pieces of Buddha charm cards,” he added.

The investigation paper was then submitted to the state Attorney-General’s Chambers with the proposed charge under Section 457 of the Penal Code.

However, in accordance with provisions under Article 145 (3) of the Federal Constitution, the chambers has decided to charge the suspect under Section 411 of the Penal Code for retaining stolen property.

“The police believes that the decision to charge the suspect under Section 411 of the Penal Code was based on evidence and appropriate,” said Mancha.

During the court proceedings, the suspect had pleaded guilty and is currently serving his 8-month sentence in Sibu prison starting from the day of his arrest.

“The court’s decision in this case should not be aired as there are proper channels and processes to dispute the judgement,” said Mancha.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3xlXSbD
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