Suspended, fired - will action be taken against regent's escort, DAP MP asks
Published: Nov 5, 2024 4:08 PM
A DAP lawmaker wants to know if disciplinary action will be taken against the police officer who assaulted a deaf e-hailing driver.
“I wish to ask. Has he been suspended from his duties, demoted or fired? Or will there be no disciplinary action taken against him?” asked Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng on X.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, he said further action must be taken against Muhammad Taufik Ismail to restore public confidence.
“If not, it will send the wrong message that the authorities are okay with letting things slide, eroding trust in the process,” Lim (above) added.
Yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court slapped Taufik with a RM1,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to assaulting Ong Ing Keong outside the St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on May 28.
Ong Ing Keong
At the time of the incident, the police officer was escorting Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who also called for action to be taken.
Ong and the Deaf Advocacy and Well-being National Organisation Malaysia (Dawn) have both expressed disappointment with the “lenient sentence”.
The victim said that he wanted to confront his assailant in court whereas Dawn warned that the judgment sets a dangerous precedent.
‘Apology mitigating factor’
However, PKR lawmaker Hassan Abdul Karim, who had raised the matter in Parliament on Oct 24, argued that since the police officer had apologised for assaulting Ong, the magistrate could have considered this as one of the mitigating factors when sentencing.
“Furthermore, the accused is still working as a police officer. News reports indicated that internal action was taken.
“If the sentence is too heavy, whether a higher fine or imprisonment, it could lead to him losing his job as a civil servant.
“So I believe the magistrate took all these (factors) in a holistic manner when meting out the sentence,” he told Malaysiakini.
At the time of the incident, the police officer was escorting Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who also called for action to be taken.
Ong and the Deaf Advocacy and Well-being National Organisation Malaysia (Dawn) have both expressed disappointment with the “lenient sentence”.
The victim said that he wanted to confront his assailant in court whereas Dawn warned that the judgment sets a dangerous precedent.
‘Apology mitigating factor’
However, PKR lawmaker Hassan Abdul Karim, who had raised the matter in Parliament on Oct 24, argued that since the police officer had apologised for assaulting Ong, the magistrate could have considered this as one of the mitigating factors when sentencing.
“Furthermore, the accused is still working as a police officer. News reports indicated that internal action was taken.
“If the sentence is too heavy, whether a higher fine or imprisonment, it could lead to him losing his job as a civil servant.
“So I believe the magistrate took all these (factors) in a holistic manner when meting out the sentence,” he told Malaysiakini.
Hassan Abdul Karim
Previously, Malaysiakini reported that the disciplinary action taken against the officer was not related to the assault but to his failure to declare his assets and the investigation paper has been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Hussain argued that if a second internal probe is launched into the assault, it would be a case of “double jeopardy”.
Various quarters had questioned if there was interference in the matter due to the delay in prosecuting the officer despite the assault being captured on dashcam.
Previously, Malaysiakini reported that the disciplinary action taken against the officer was not related to the assault but to his failure to declare his assets and the investigation paper has been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Hussain argued that if a second internal probe is launched into the assault, it would be a case of “double jeopardy”.
Various quarters had questioned if there was interference in the matter due to the delay in prosecuting the officer despite the assault being captured on dashcam.
What Double Jeopardy ?
ReplyDeleteIt is true that the person should not be investigated twice for the same matter without substantive new developments. However , since the earlier investigation was on a different matter, there is no Doue Jeopardy.
The court case is also a separate matter from police internal disciplinary issues.