Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Mkini a witness in KJ probe, not target - Fahmi








Mkini a witness in KJ probe, not target - Fahmi


Published: Jan 28, 2025 4:33 PM


Summary

  • Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil confirms that Malaysiakini is not being targeted in the investigation into Khairy Jamaluddin but is instead a witness in the case.

  • His comment comes after police seized a laptop from Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand as part of the probe into the ex-minister’s comments on the royal addendum saga and Umno's trust crisis.

  • Fahmi clarifies that MCMC is assisting the police as a technical agency, following AGC instructions and assures that the laptop will be returned once the probe is complete.


Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has denied that Malaysiakini is being targeted in the investigation into former minister Khairy Jamaluddin for his comments related to the royal addendum saga.

Instead, Fahmi (above) said the news portal is a witness in the ongoing probe.

“I have been informed that Malaysiakini is a witness in this case, not the target of the investigation,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.

Yesterday, police seized a laptop from Malaysiakini to assist in the investigation

The Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Investigation Unit had also recorded a statement from Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand in connection with the case.

The investigation against Khairy is under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Ex-minister Khairy Jamaluddin


This follows a police report filed by Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said’s political secretary over a Malaysiakini report quoting Khairy’s comments on the royal addendum saga and its impact on Umno's trust, which he made in his “Keluar Sekejap” podcast.

‘MCMC acting as technical agency’

Malaysiakini was also summoned to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) headquarters in Putrajaya this morning as the portal had refused to disclose the password to access its content management system (CMS).



Fahmi further explained that MCMC is acting as a technical agency to assist the police, based on instructions from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“I believe the laptop taken from Malaysiakini will be returned after the probe is complete,” he added.

The last time Malaysiakini had a laptop seized from one of its journalists was over the 1MDB scandal, which then took nearly nine years to be returned.

The laptop, along with its charger, a USB thumb drive, and some documents were seized during a raid of the news portal’s office on Nov 9, 2015 and was only returned on Oct 1 last year.


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