ANTI-GRAFT investigators should investigate a top Malaysian police officer over money banked into his Australian account rather than wait for a report to be lodged, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low Seng Kuan said today.

Low, who oversees the country’s fight against graft, said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission should investigate federal police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd.

“It should be investigated because the case seems to be improper conduct. Even without someone filing a report, MACC should initiate an investigation,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He was asked to comment on the controversy surrounding Wan Ahmad’s cash transactions in Australia that came to light last week.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Friday that Australian police had seized A$320,000 from Wan Ahmad’s account over money laundering suspicions.

Wan Ahmad, however, is not fighting to have the money returned.

The report said Bukit Aman had cleared him after an internal inquiry, which followed an alert from Australia.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Azam Baki was reported as saying the anti-graft agency would investigate Wan Ahmad only if an official report was lodged against him.

He said MACC would seek Bukit Aman’s help to get more information on the case.

Responding to police’s statement, Low said it was only right for police to explain why they had accepted Wan Ahmad’s explanation on the matter.

“This case is of public interest. It’s proper that they should disclose why it is justified.”

Malaysian police have stood by Wan Ahmad, with Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun saying the CID chief’s money was from the sale of his house in Shah Alam, worth RM700,000, and that he had friends make cash transfers to his Australian account.

Fuzi said Wan Ahmad had provided adequate justification for the need to acquire an overseas account, for the sole purpose of funding his children’s education.

He said police were made aware of Wan Ahmad’s account in 2016, and that an internal inquiry into the matter had been conducted by the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department.

Wan Ahmad, who was promoted to the post of CID director in April last year, was reported to have said he had opened the account in Australia in 2011 to channel funds for the purpose of paying for his daughter’s pursuit of a master’s degree. – March 5, 2018.