KUALA LUMPUR - The buzz created by a report that Malaysian police had allegedly raided a luxury apartment said to belong to family members of former prime minister Najib Razak has turned out to be a case of curious policemen having a closer look at the CCTVs.
"The only group of policemen in the area at the time of the supposed 'raid' was our crime prevention unit, and they were not instructed to do a bust there," said a Dang Wangi senior police officer who declined to be named.
"I was told they were instructed to patrol the area and probably check out the CCTV there, but some of their peers had decided to have a look-see for themselves following a report. Nothing more."
The apartment is in Pavilion Residences, which is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and falls under the jurisdiction of Dang Wangi district police.
On Thursday (May 10), two Youth leaders of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia made a police report alleging that vans delivered boxes for 50 Birkin handbags to the apartment. After the report was filed, another source said the case was handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
"Since the case has been passed to the MACC, it cannot be the police who raided the place. We've checked with federal police and MACC but none of them said they conducted the supposed 'raid' there," the source said.
"There is no raid. The police only came to get statements from auxiliary policemen based there following a police report made on a video recording," he said on Saturday night (May 12).
Kuala Lumpur's police chief, Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim, has also dismissed the report as "fake news".
"There is no raid. The police only came to get statements from auxiliary policemen based there following a police report made on a video recording," he said on Saturday night (May 12).
"We came to check the CCTV footage. The Reuters story is not true. Fake news," he added. He also questioned the sources for the news report, according to a report by The Star Online.
On Saturday evening, a Reuters news agency report, quoting two unnamed senior police officers, said the police searched for sensitive documents which the Pakatan Harapan government fears may be taken out of the country.
Police said they were acting after a complaint that a government vehicle had delivered dozens of boxes made to carry designer handbags and other items to the apartment for Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, according to the report.
The report came as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he had stopped his predecessor from leaving the country because of suspected wrongdoing in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
