Former Esscom intel chief, three others file RM100mil suit against govt

TAWAU: Former Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) Chief of Staff (Intelligence) Datuk Mat Zaki Md Zain and three others have filed an RM100mil defamation suit against the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and 10 others for wrongful prosecution and arrest in the case involving the murder of an e-hailing driver.

The suit also named former Esscom officers and members Fabian Anak Rungan, Dennis Anak Enit and Mohd Azlan Sakaran as the plaintiffs. It was filed through Messrs Lincon & Company at the High Court here on Aug 15.

They named the former PDRM Director of Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) Datuk Seri Abdul Jalil Hassan; Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa; Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan; and former Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah as defendants.

Others named the defendants in the suit are Tawau District Police Chief ACP Jasmin Hussin, ACP Dr Mohd Hakim Hashom, DSP Yusman Shahri Marinsah, former Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, the Attorney General’s Chamber and the Malaysian government.

Mat Zaki, in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 20), said they filed the suit after he and the three other plaintiffs were acquitted and discharged of the murder charge.

He claimed that despite being acquitted and discharged of the offence, he and the three other plaintiffs continued to be pressured, transferred out of Esscom and then transferred out without clear justification.

“Our case went viral in mainstream, alternative and social media. It has caused the general public and teammates to think that we are indeed the guilty perpetrators in the murder case. This matter has seriously affected our honour, good name and reputation to this day.

“These false accusations and arrests made without evidence have also affected my reputation in the intelligence community of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, where before this case, I had managed to build a good working network to jointly protect the waters of the three countries from the threat of cross-border terrorists,” he said.

He also claimed that despite having been cleared and released from the charges by the court after a year of remand in prison, the party responsible for the wrongful charges against them never made an effort to apologise or try to restore their dignity, good name and reputation.

“In fact, after being freed, we continued to be pressured from various angles by the defendants even though we are still in the process of recovering from the trauma caused by the false accusations they made,” he said.

The plaintiffs are claiming special damages, a declaration and apologies from the 11 defendants.

On Jan 25, the High Court freed Mat Zaki and seven others of murder and conspiracy charges in the murder trial involving e-hailing driver Nurman Bakaratu, 61, after his ex-wife confessed to killing him.

They were charged with committing the offence at an oil palm plantation near Jalan Anjur Juara, Jalan Apas Baru 5, Tawau, on Jan 13, 2023. – Bernama