KAJANG, May 31 — The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) will soon begin investigations into the death of N. Dharmendran who died in police custody, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today, amid public scepticism towards a panel accused of incompetence and bias.

Ahmad Zahid added that the EAIC probe will run in parallel with an internal inquiry into the brutal murder of the 31 year-old who, according to a post-mortem report, was beaten to death while in detention earlier this month.

“The EAIC (investigation) will be carried out. I have discussed with a senior prosecutor who has begun investigation and we will try to assist.

“Whatever we do, we do not side those involved even though they are our officers,” he told a press conference after visiting the Prison Department here.

Opposition leaders alleged the government was trying to cover up the case by using what they claimed as a “delaying tactic” since the police have yet to charge anyone more than a week after a post-mortem report had clearly stated that Dharmendran had been murdered.

PKR vice-president N. Surendran also claimed Putrajaya was harassing the victim’s family when an officer claiming to represent Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low had called them to arrange a secret meeting without the presence of their current pro-opposition lawyers.

Low later denied the allegation and said the family had misconstrued his intention and that the government was only trying to help.

Ahmad Zahid said it was unfair for the opposition and the public to prejudice the authorities on the matter as the government was now trying its best to bring the culprits to justice.

“You have to be fair to both sides. You cannot blame the entire police force when something like this happens,” he said.

The home minister cited the proposal to set up a central detention centre with cameras to replace detaining suspects in police lockups as proof of the government’s intention on addressing the alarming rise of custodial deaths.

Dharmendran’s death has sparked a renewed call for the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

But Low appeared to suggest that the panel was unnecessary as the EAIC is already acting as an independent oversight body for the police force.

The former president of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International (TI-M), however, admitted that the EAIC had some defects, chiefly the need to have a centralised and trusted channel where the public can direct their complaints to, saying it was “not very clear” on who they can go to.

Last Monday, former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad reportedly said that the EAIC has been very “costly”, with only one disciplinary action taken since its establishment in April 2011.

The former top judge said that the EAIC had received 347 complaints, with 110 rejected, while nine were referred to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), four to the relevant disciplinary bodies, while 149 needed more investigation. Only 60 of the 347 cases were referred for a full investigation.

Of the 60 cases sent for a full investigation, only one case was referred to the police force’s disciplinary body while two others were closed on the basis of double jeopardy, local daily The Star reported last Tuesday.

“The bottom line is, since its establishment until the end of 2012, only one disciplinary action and two warnings had been handed down. For a budget of RM14 million for the two years, they were very costly indeed,” Abdul Hamid was quoted as saying by The Star when presenting his analysis paper.

Abdul Hamid also said the EAIC had yet to set up a task force to conduct full investigations as required by the EAIC Act 2009.

According to the EAIC’s website, the commission was officially set up on April 1, 2011 when the EAIC Act came into force.

Section 4 of the Act lists down the eight functions of the EAIC, including the receiving and probing of complaints of misconduct by officers from enforcement agencies. The commission can also visit enforcement agencies, including police stations and lockups, and give its recommendations.

Sumber :  The Malaysian Insider