Pupil dies after food poisoning from nasi lemak

TANGKAK: About 25 people came down with food poisoning after eatingnasi lemak and murtabak bought from a night market here.

Most were given out-patient treatment at Tangkak Hospital but a Year One pupil allegedly died.

It is learnt that Fakhira Barisya Zainal Abidin, seven, her father and mother suffered serious food poisoning after eating the nasi lemak.

According to her uncle Mohammed Fadzir Moktar, 27, the girl’s father, Zainal Abidin Alami, 35, and mother are being warded at Putra Hospital in Batu Pahat.

He said Zainal Abidin, a lecturer at the Mara College here, had bought the nasi lemak from a stall on March 31 and started purging soon after.

“When he went to wake Fakhira Barisya up on the morning of April 2, she was already dead,” Mohammed Fadzir said yesterday.

State Women, Family, Health and Commu­nity Development Committeechairman Dr Robia Kosai said the Health Department had temporarily suspended the trader’s licence.

She said a detailed investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the family’s illness.

Ledang police chief Supt Haron Idris said police had yet to determine the cause of death.

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Investigation into blog posting that smears judges

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are investigating allegations in a blog which imply that judges can be bought.

Putrajaya OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Razak Abdul Majid said his team was now working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to identify and trace the writer of the blog Justice 4 Sale.

ACP Abdul Razak said the case was being probed under the Communications and Multimedia Act.

“We have a statement from a deputy registrar who lodged a report over this matter on March 8,” he said, adding that they would be getting statements from others as well.

He declined to give further details.

On March 8, Court of Appeal deputy registrar Rihaida Rasie lodged a report at the Putrajaya district police station over an article titled “Yang Arif Hakim Boleh Dibeli Murah Oleh Razak Mohd Noor” (Learned judge can be bought cheap by Razak Mohd Noor) that appeared in the blog on Feb 22.

The same article has also been posted in other blogs such as Papa Gomo (on March 2) and Taiping Mali (Feb 29).

Referring to cases involving two companies, the article alleges that one Razak Mohd Noor had conspired with a Court of Appeal judge, who was then a High Court judge, to decide in his favour.

The blogger further alleges that the judge in question had high ambitions to be a Court of Appeal judge. The blog also alleged that two judicial commissioners had interfered in cases involving the two companies.

Federal Court corporate communications and international relations unit chief Mohd Aizuddin Zolkeply said yesterday the judiciary would not tolerate slanderous remarks made against it.

He said the judiciary viewed seriously the fact that the slanderous remarks had been copied and pasted by other bloggers.

“Bloggers should not misuse their blogs to spread allegations which tarnish the image of the judiciary. Such statements could be tantamount to contempt of court for which action can be taken under the law.

“If parties want to lodge any complaint over alleged misconduct of certain judges, they can contact the Chief Justice, who is always open to hear any comments and criticisms involving judges. If they have a complaint on corruption, they can lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission,” he added.

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IGP: Only 1% of policemen on the take

KUALA LUMPUR: Only 1% out of about 100,000 policemen were reported to be taking bribes, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

He said although the number was small, if left unchecked, could spread like cancer.

"It is always regrettable to hear someone say many policemen are corrupt. This is not good," he told reporters after the launch of the Police-NKRA Reject Bribery posters here Wednesday.

Ismail said he would strive to inculcate zero corruption culture in the police force and urged the public to lodge reports against corrupt policemen.

He also said he was satisfied with performance of the Police Disciplinary Department, which was set up in the 80s, in combating police misconduct, including corruption.

In his speech, Ismail said four kinds of corruption were identified in developed countries which could impede the integrity of enforcement agencies.

They were corruption involving individuals on a small scale, bureaucratic corruption, criminal corruption and politic corruption, he said.

"I am very disappointed and sad every time I get a report about a police officer or a policeman being involved in corruption, especially when they go viral on the Internet either in print media, blog postings or video clips like YouTube," he said.

Meanwhile, Bukit Aman NKRA Corruption director Datuk Hisham Nordinsaid 157 police officers filed reports against bribe givers last year

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Charred remains of missing Nurul Nadirah, 5, found

JOHOR BARU: Charred remains of 5-year-old Nurul Nadirah Abdullah, missing since March 1, was found at a plantation in Nusa Damai, Johor.

The remains were found on Thursday and subsequent DNA testing with a sample from her mother, Roselyn Alan, 25, confirmed her identity, said Seri Alam OCPD Superintendent Roslan Zainuddin

"We managed to get DNA samples from bone fragments found at the scene. The Chemistry Department found the samples matched her mother's DNA," he told reporters here.

Roselyn reported her missing when Nurul, fondly called Dirang, failed to return after going to a grocery shop on the ground floor of the next block of flats to buy eggs and instant noddles.

A special task force headed by Johor CID chief Datuk Amer Awal and assisted by Federal police officers was set up to solve the case, which received wide news coverage with various quarters icluding from the private sector stepping in to circulate posters of the child in the hope of finding her.

Police also have called up four people including Dirang's father to assist investigations into the case.

Roslan said in the wake of the latest development, police have re-classified the case from missing person to murder.

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Malaysian minister in 'cowgate' scandal to resign

A Malaysian minister embroiled in a scandal over government funds meant for a cattle project says she will resign.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said on Sunday she would step down as minister for women, family and community on 8 April.

Her family had been accused of misusing the 250m Malaysian ringgit ($83m; £53m) fund to pay for condominiums, vacations and a Mercedes.

The "cowgate" scandal led to talk that Prime Minister Najib Razak might delay upcoming elections.

The minister said her resignation was not related to the cattle project run by her husband and three children. She was said she was stepping down as a "responsible member of the government" after her term as senator ends next month.

She added that she would, however, continue to serve as chief of the women's wing of the ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and governing coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).

Her decision came after months of pressure from the public and opposition over the allegations.

Her senatorship was widely expected to be extended before the scandal broke last year.

'A sacrifice'

An annual report by the auditor-general said that the National Feedlot Centre run by the minister's family had not met its target of 40% self-sufficiency in beef production by 2010.

Allegations then emerged that the soft government loans were being misused for personal means, including the purchase of luxury apartments in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore.

The minister has denied any wrongdoing, and company officials have reportedly said that the property investments could generate income.

Police in the South East Asian country are investigating the allegations.

The scandal has proved embarrassing for Mr Razak, who has pledged to root out corruption. Malaysia is due to go to the polls in 2013 but he is widely expected to call for elections later this year.

In the last elections in 2008, the longstanding ruling party lost more than a third of the parliamentary seats to the opposition, led then by Anwar Ibrahim, who was acquitted of sodomy charges in January 2012.

Mr Najib has characterised the resignation as a ''sacrifice'' on the part of the minister.

"Although there is no proof so far that she had committed any offence in terms of law, because the (project) has drawn controversy and dispute, she was willing to withdraw from the government," he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.

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