KUALA LUMPUR: The upcoming retirement of Armed Forces Chief Jeneral Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar and Military Intelligence head Leftenan-Jeneral Datuk Mohd Razali Alias is not related to a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation involving military officers, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).
The Defence Minister yesterday dismissed any links between the retirement of the two top military officers and the MACC investigation codenamed “Ops Sohor”.
Mohamed Khaled was asked to comment on the retirement of both men and whether it had any connection with Ops Sohor, where several military officers were arrested for their alleged involvement in a smuggling syndicate.
Meanwhile, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that the duo’s early retirement has nothing to do with Ops Sohor.
He said the anti-graft body is not even aware that they are retiring.
It is learnt that Mohd Nizam will turn 60 on Aug 3 next year but he is expected to begin his leave on Jan 1, 2026, in line with the mandatory retirement age of 60.
Mohd Razali is due to retire on Dec 16 next year.
Mohd Nizam was appointed the Armed Forces chief on Jan 31 while Mohd Razali became the Malaysian Defence Intelligence Organisation (MDIO) director-general on Dec 1, 2023.
On Aug 13, the MACC arrested 10 people, including five senior military officers, two journalists who were former servicemen, and three civilians, one of whom is an Indonesian national in Ops Sohor.
The detained officers comprised a colonel, three lieutenant-colonels and a captain.
Three of them were active intelligence officers with the MDIO, while the two journalists were also former intelligence officers with the same body.
They are suspected of leaking information on the movement of security personnel to smugglers operating in the Straits of Malacca.
The items smuggled into Malaysia included drugs, cigarettes and other goods valued at RM5mil per month.
The one-year investigation revealed that the syndicate allegedly paid bribes ranging from RM30,000 to RM50,000 to each officer for every successful smuggling attempt.
