Spy chief's lawyer confirms letter to CIA is genuine and falls under the OSA (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: The leaked letter that was sent to the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Is genuine but falls under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and a police report has been lodged on the matter.

According to former Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) head Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid's (pic) lawyer, the report was lodged urging for a probe into the individuals who leaked her confidential letter.

Her lawyer, Datuk Shaharudin Ali was speaking at a media conference at his office here and said Hasanah lodged her report Tuesday (July 31) at the Travers police station.

When asked if Hasanah knew who leaked the confidential letter, Shaharudin said it up to the police to investigate

He added that Hasanah, who was not present at the media conference, would fully cooperate in any probe.

The MEIO which is a covert intelligence agency set up in the 1960s and is known officially as the Research Division under the Prime Minister's Office, said Shaharudin.

He also distributed a written statement by Hasanah.

In her statement, Hasanah said the leak had destroyed the trust which foreign intelligence agencies had in MEIO and jeopardised ties between the spy agency and its foreign counterparts.

"The morale of MEIO officers and agents has also been affected by the leak.

"If this could so easily happen, then sources will cease (to work with the MEIO) and the trust towards the sanctity of confidential information held by MEIO will erode, and this will weaken national security," Hasanah wrote in her statement.

The letter was allegedly written on May 4, just a week before the 14th General Election.

Several screenshots of the letter addressed to CIA director Gina Haspel, which appealed to the US to support Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's administration had gone viral.