Malaysia police say fire at headquarters destroyed waste paper, not secret documents

Police sieving through the damage done by the fire at the Malaysian police headquarters in Bukit Aman on July 29, 2015. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police said only waste paper was destroyed during a fire on the 10th floor of its headquarters, not secret documents relating to any ongoing investigations.

"It was just waste paper. Old papers that we were no longer using, application forms, book files.

"All the paper that was burnt had been placed outside in the corridor, waiting for disposal," Federal criminal investigation department director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh told The Star.

Comm Mohmad, whose department was affected by the fire, said that the fire on Wednesday only happened in the outer corridor of the office.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Comm Mohmad was accompanying newly-minted deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who visited the site on Thursday morning,

Comm Mohmad also assured that no secret documents were affected by the fire, amidst intense conspiracy theories from Malaysians who related the incident to a supposed means to destroy evidence.

Inspector-General of Police Secretariat Assistant Head (Corporate Communications) Asst Comm Asmawati Ahmad slammed the speculation online, after news of the fire went viral.

"They (commenters) are ignorant to the facts of the case. They are irresponsible and they don't realise the impact of their actions," she said.

The fire comes at a time when state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which has debts of more than US$11 billion (S$ 15 billion), is being investigated for financial mismanagement and graft.

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