Rogue cops need to be eradicated

THE arrest of an experienced pathologist from a major government hospital in Johor in the middle of the year did not make the headlines much at first.

But over the next few weeks, it emerged that this government servant in his 50s was at the centre of a vast network providing tampered urine samples in substance abuse cases.

Caught in the web were 33 narcotics policemen of various ranks – an assistant superintendent, eight inspectors, 22 sergeants, a corporal and a lance corporal – from across almost all of Johor’s 13 police districts.

They were also arrested and investigations revealed that the network had been up and running since 2018.

Under the standard operating procedure, a government pathologist is tasked with producing a substance abuse report based on a person’s urine sample that is sent to the hospital by the police.

This report will be used by a narcotics investigating officer to wrap up the probe, before the Attorney General’s Chambers decides whether to charge the person under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952.

A conviction carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of two years.

So rogue pathologists and policemen can do wonders with these urine samples if their owners would rather not test positive for illegal substances.

Sources told The Star that following a tip-off, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) swooped in to unravel this network and one of the first things the graft busters did was to scrutinise several nightclub raids.

During some of these operations, patrons who tested positive on the spot were given a second chance to give their urine samples. These were sent to the pathologist who issued a final test result.It was at this point that owners of these samples would be offered the chance to get a negative test result in exchange for RM1,500.

A negative substance abuse result would mean that no case could be brought against the individual.

Sources said the pathologist had links to almost all police narcotics investigators in Johor and that he had made so much cash that he had to hire people to set up mule accounts to cover his tracks.

The MACC has confirmed that it is still investigating the case under Section 17(A) of the MACC Act 2009 for demanding bribes. It is still actively looking for witnesses to assist in its investigations.

All the policemen have been out on bail since the MACC operation from June to September, and the public is still waiting to see if anyone will be charged.

The scandal is similar to that of two female pathologists in the United States more than a decade ago.

The two employees, Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan, had worked in separate laboratories in Massachusetts, where they tampered with laboratory results for many years until their arrests in 2012 and 2013.

The cases resulted in more than 40,000 police cases being dismissed.

These two scandals were given the Hollywood treatment in the four-part Netflix series How to Fix a Drug Scandal that premiered three years ago.

Just like in the United States, are the many substance abuse cases in Johor jeopardised by the urine sample syndicate?

Since the scandal, Johor police have made it mandatory for the state’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department to tag along with narcotics teams during raids at entertainment outlets.

But this is only a temporary measure. The presence of a network of corrupt cops has experts calling for the force’s top brass to walk the talk on their promises to weed out their crooked colleagues.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain and his deputy Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay need to take the bull by the horns and carry out a purge in the narcotics division, not just in Johor but nationwide.

Renowned criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy believes that each level of the police leadership, from the station to the district to the state to Bukit Aman, must have the will to act against corruption.

“If all the leaders play their supervisory role properly, all those involved in wrongdoings can be weeded out.

“The police should also revive its old practice of moving personnel, especially from key enforcement units, around every few years to ensure that they do not become too familiar in one place,” said Sundramoorthy of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research.

Personnel should also be transferred out of their unit or department instead of merely being moved to a neighbouring police district.

Lawyer and legislator Hassan Karim has argued that cops under investigation should not be in the same department and be going about their duties as usual while waiting for their cases to be disposed of.

“This is a case of public interest as it is tampering with evidence. This is a serious offence. If people can be released with a negative result, then people can also be framed with a positive outcome,” he said.

Hassan, who is also Pasir Gudang MP, urged the Health Ministry to also conduct its own investigations and use the Johor example to ensure something similar does not happen in other states.

Until today and despite the billions of ringgit spent to fight the menace, substance abuse remains a problem.

It is time to tighten the screws around corrupt enforcement personnel who have enriched themselves and allowed this problem to persist.