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POLITICKLE NEWZ4U
A three-member independent panel acting as deputy public prosecutors, found that Attorney-General (AG) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Aman did not fabricate evidence in the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim "black eye" incident in 1998.

• "After studying the case carefully and in depth, Tan Sri Abdul Gani and Tan Sri Musa did not commit any criminal offence as alleged by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim," said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in a statement. As such, the MACC chief commissioner also found no criminal case against the two.

• The independent panel comprised two former Federal Court judges and a Court of Appeal judge, Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, Datuk Wira Mohd Noor Ahmad and Datuk Mohamad Noor Abdullah, who were appointed as DPPs in the case by the Solicitor- General.

• Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the panel members did not discuss the case among themselves and dealt with it professionally and meticulously.

• "Majority-wise, the panel found that the AG and IGP did not commit any criminal offence in the case as alleged," he said. Mohamed Nazri said two of the three panel members cleared Abdul Ghani of any wrongdoing while all the members made the same decision on Musa.

The Opposition may attempt to rally support in Parliament and around the country for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to stay on as prime minister but the transition timetable is cast in stone.

• Abdullah has informed his successor Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak this week that he will hand over the reins of government on April 3. This slight change to the earlier timetable of stepping down on March 31 is because Abdullah would like to chair the Cabinet meeting on April 1 and bid farewell to the ministers in person, some of whom have served with him under the previous administration.

• The swearing in of Najib as the sixth prime minister of Malaysia is set for Friday, four days before the clutch of by-elections in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai.

• This news is likely to dampen speculation that Abdullah will continue in office even after the Umno elections - speculation that went up several notches after Abdullah and Opposition icon Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim met at a lunch yesterday in conjunction with the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.


Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has laughed off speculation surrounding yesterday's lunchtime meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. "Don't read too much into it," he said.

• Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, Abdullah dismissed any political agenda in his unexpected meeting with Anwar. He told reporters that there was no discussion between him and Anwar and that "there was nothing more about it,"

• He said he was invited by well known Ustaz Sheikh Mahmud Al-Mazjub to celebrate Maulidur Rasul to mark the ending of the spiritual development of the Ustaz.

• He said that he was having lunch with the Sheikh when Anwar visited them later. He said that he and Anwar were listening to Sheikh Mahmud during lunch and dismissed bloggers' speculations of any political implications about the meeting.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the opposition was prepared to cooperate for the people's benefit in tackling the worsening economic crisis, but on certain conditions.

• Anwar (PKR-Permatang Pauh) said the "olive branch" offered by the government was a sign it wanted to cooperate with the opposition, but he reminded the government that the opposition did not forget easily.

• Anwar said the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein (the second prime minister), when moving the motion for a coalition government with PAS, had done away with victimisation, stopped making slanderous statements in the media, released detainees held without trial, negotiated, and later offered the olive branch with an open mind. As such, Anwar asked that these were also implemented by the government, claiming that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was not emulating his late father.

Three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers spent two hours at the Tourism Minister's office and took away two documents, as part of investigations into money politics leading up to the Umno party elections. They also interviewed two senior officials from Datuk Azalina Othman Said's office at Menara Dato Onn. The minister was not in at the time of the "visit" by commission officers. It is learnt that the MACC is
investigating a gathering she attended with some Umno members at the Saloma Bistro in Jalan Ampang last week.