25 Apr 2024, 03:20 Kuching
24 Apr 2024, 20:20 London
Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar says there is no conflict of interest with regard to his daughter’s firearms business.
The Inspector-General of Police said his daughter had already started the business before he was appointed the country’s top cop.
“They got their business licence before I became IGP,” he said at a press conference after presenting a lecture at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Bangi on Monday.
Khalid said that he had also forbidden his daughter from applying for government or police contracts.
“If there had been any tenders given to them through me, Sarawak Report would have reported it by now.
“So I don’t think there is any special treatment or conflict of interest,” he said.
On claims by portal that the conflict interest was in the awarding of gun licences, Khalid said it was he did not wish to jeopardise an investigation by commenting.
“I’m sure there will be an investigation so I do not want to jeopardise it by commenting further,” he said.
Online portal Sarawak Report had reported that Khalid’s second daughter, Juwiza Khalid, 32, was the biggest shareholder in Nilai Arms & Ammunitions (NAA).
It added that Khalid’s brother-in-law Mohd Isa Husin, 59, was also an owner of the business.
The Register of Companies shows that Khalid established his company flogging guns through his daughter and brother in law in June 2012.
He became IGP less than a year later, so when did he get the nod on the job?
Even if he had merely suspected he might get this top job, it was clearly not an appropriate business for an already top policeman to be engaged in and once he had been confirmed in the appointment, which gave him sole charge over issuing permits, he should then have instructed his daughter to dispose of the business.
The fact that he claims he had “forbidden” his daughter to apply for police contracts makes it perfectly plain who was in charge of the affair. He seems to feel self-sacrficing in having denied his own company the opportunity to apply for police contracts, but not to see anything wrong with exploiting his position in this less public way.
Without a doubt any police officer in a country of good governance would have stepped down over this. At least he is accepting there will be an investigation into the affair. Najib will appoint Apandi to ‘throughly investigate’ and ‘clear’ him
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