Phang VS Ex-IGP in Court?

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Philanthropist Tan Sri Robert Phang ready to clear his name in Court battle with Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Philanthropist Tan Sri Robert Phang accused the retired crime buster Tan Sri Musa Hassan of having destroyed his reputation during his tenure on the board of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) advisory panel.

Tan Sri Musa Hassan has a week to reply to Tan Sri Robert Phang’s letter of demand or face a RM100 million defamation suit.

“I have sent a letter of demand for RM100 million to Musa Hassan and he already accepted. Signed by him,” the Social Care Foundation chairman told reporters today.

The prominent public personality said Musa had damaged his reputation by accusing him in a recent news conference of abusing his authority to transfer a senior police officer in order to speed up the deployment of a project he had backed.

He said Musa has seven days to reply, failing which he would file his suit with the court. Musa, who has been in the limelight of late for his barrage of revelations on power abuse in the police force, had told reporters: “(Phang) threatened the officer: if you don’t commission (this project), you will be transferred in 24 hours.”

“If someone from the public can threaten a policeman ... he must have powers in the police force,” Musa had claimed.

The project in 2009 was allegedly to upgrade the analogue communications system used by the police to a digital Motorola system which, according to Musa, was worth hundreds of millions of ringgit.

He had described the transferred officer as an expert in communications, ranking “higher than assistant commissioner of police (ACP)”, holding a Datukship, and is still in the force. 

When making the accusation, Musa reasoned that he was only revealing the abuse now as a response to Phang’s earlier allegation that the ex-IGP was backed by crime syndicates.

“I don’t want to shame others, but people are shaming me ... (But) this is not a retaliation,” he added.