Amri Che Mat. -Star filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: A police officer has denied allegations by the wife of missing activist Amri Che Mat that he had told her that the police were behind her husband’s abduction.
Sarjan Mohd Shamzaini Mohd Daud, who is a Special Branch officer in Perlis, admitted that he had met Norhayati Mohd Ariffin on May 12, but claimed it was only to enquire about renting a shoplot within the compound of her house.
“I strongly deny her allegations,” he told the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) inquiry on the disappearance of Amri on Friday.
In a police report she made on May 15 at the Shah Alam police station,
Norhayati had claimed that Shamzaini told her that a police team from Bukit Aman had been responsible for the abduction of her husband and that of Pastor Raymond Koh.
Shamzaini, 38, said he had met Norhayati briefly in the morning before meeting her for a longer period at night on the same day.
Shamzaini had on May 18 made a police report denying Norhayati's allegations.
He also denied being pressured by the police to make the report, saying that Norhayati's allegations would have implications on his image, his career and on the police force.
He also claimed that he did not know at first that Norhayati was Amri’s wife.
He said that during their meeting, Norhayati had accused him of trying to get information about her.
He added that Norhayati had also mentioned several names including that of high ranking police officers, claiming that they were involved in her husband's abduction.
Amri, who co-founded the organisation Perlis Hope, had gone out from his home in Kangar at about 11.30pm on Nov 24, 2016, in his SUV.
His car was later found at the construction site of the Bukit Cabang Sports School in the wee hours of the morning the following day.
Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul and CP Datuk Awaludin Jadid, the former principal assistant director of Special Branch's Social Extremism Division (E2) who had testified earlier in the inquiry, had claimed that Perlis Hope was a front for Syiah activities.
Amri was a mountain climber who was part of the 1997 Mount Everest Malaysian expedition team.
Norhayati and Amri were married in 1997 and have four girls aged between 11 and 19.
The inquiry is being held under Section 12(1) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act in connection with the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh, Amri, and Pastor Joshua Hilmi and his wife Ruth Sitepu.
The panel of inquiry consists of commissioners Datuk Mah Weng Kwai as chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Aishah Bidin, and Dr Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Saleh.
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