"General" Azami arrested

KUALA LUMPUR: “General” Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali, the leader of the banned Federal Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM), who is facing charges of criminal conspiracy, is apparently at it again.

Police believe his bogus paramilitary group has re-grouped.

Nor Azami, a 41-year-old self-proclaimed general, was arrested yesterday with 41 others including 36 “recruits” while conducting interviews and written examinations for the freshies at the forces’ new headquarters in Taman Gombak Jaya here.

Nor Azami, five of his “senior officers” and the recruits were detained on the top floor of a shoplot by a police team from the Federal Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) at 11.55am following a tip-off.

The “general“ had apparently kept his promise four years ago that he would continue to operate FSFM despite being warned by the authorities not to do so.

He is out on bail for an earlier charge related to leading the bogus army.

He is scheduled to attend court proceedings on June 25-26 where he is facing a charge of criminal conspiracy. His “army” had been disbanded and banned six years ago.

CCID Deputy Director II (administration and operations) Senior Asst Comm Tajudin (I) Md Isa said police also seized car crests, T-shirts, blazers and caps bearing the FSFM emblem.

“We also seized documents used in interviews and test papers for recruits which consisted of general knowledge and history questions about the country,” he said, adding that police also seized RM340, which was collected from the recruits.

SAC Tajudin said police are investigating the case as cheating under Section 417 and 420 of the Penal Code.

“We want to find out how FSFM got its funds to run such an operation. We also need to establish the actual number of members and we believe it could be in the hundreds.”

Recruits had to pay RM180 for registration and examination fees.

Tajudin said initial investigations revealed that FSFM promised the recruits a minimum salary of RM1,900 and that they would be given allowances, ranks and authority based on their performance.

FSFM claimed that it was part of the Government’s security and intelligence agency.

“Please don’t be duped by this illegal organisation. Come forward and assist us,” said SAC Tajudin.

Police investigations had revealed that Nor Azami had worked for the Malaysian Emergency Action Force for a few months before he was sacked.

The Malaysian Emergency Action Force was formerly a corporate body in the Prime Minister’s Department, set up to help in rescue missions during emergencies and was registered under the Trustees Incorporated Act 1952.

Nor Azami then formed the FSFM, which he claimed was linked to the Malaysian Emergency Action Force.

In 2003, the Government banned FSFM and shut it down because its activities were deemed illegal and posed a threat to national security.

The existence of the group came to light when police were investigating a cheating case in Taman Maluri, Cheras, that year.