Ex-MACC chief Shukri denies taking orders from PM to unfreeze accounts of suspects under investigation

PETALING JAYA: Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption chief Datuk Shukri Abdull denied taking orders from the prime minister or Cabinet ministers to unfreeze bank accounts of suspects under investigation.

"When investigating, I only follow the deputy public prosecutor's (DPP) directive.

"I don't take orders from any unrelated parties," he said.

He said this in response to the claim by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng had interfered in the MACC investigation involving businessman Tan Sri Lim Soon Peng.

On Monday (Aug 10), Takiyuddin highlighted in Parliament the former premier's alleged handwritten note on businessman Soon Peng's letter of representation, asking MACC to unfreeze his bank account.

Soon Peng's bank accounts had been frozen then, pending investigations into RM4mil transactions linked to 1MDB.

"Also in this particular case, I did not issue any orders to my officers to unfreeze the said account," said Shukri.

Takiyuddin pointed out that Guan Eng had also penned a note on the letter, asking then Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas to look into the request.

Tommy had subsequently replied in a letter to Guan Eng on May 3,2019, confirming that Soon Peng's account had been unfrozen after he had agreed to return the 1MDB-linked funds associated with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Shukri said if it was true that the businessman's account had been unfrozen, he had never issued any orders to do so.

Shukri reiterated that he only took orders from the DPP, not any other parties.

"I have always safeguarded my integrity," he said.