Did MACC genuinely try to contact James Chai before public notice?

Question

Accepted Answer

MACC Asserted Multiple Contact Attempts Before Issuing Public Notice for James Chai

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) stated that its officers made several attempts to contact James Chai via WhatsApp using his UK-based phone number before issuing a public search notice. MACC officials claimed that an investigating officer first attempted to reach Chai on February 24, 2026, but received no response. Subsequently, Chai's phone number reportedly blocked the investigating officer's number on February 26, 2026, after multiple unanswered attempts.
MACC Details WhatsApp Contact Efforts

According to MACC, the initial outreach was made through WhatsApp on February 24, 2026, using a telephone number identified as belonging to James Chai. Despite these efforts, no reply was received. The commission further elaborated that after repeated attempts to establish contact without success, the investigating officer's number was blocked by Chai's telephone number two days later, on February 26, 2026.
Denial of Untrue Claims Regarding Contact

MACC explicitly denied Chai's assertion that the commission failed to attempt contact prior to issuing the public search notice. The commission characterized this claim as completely untrue and presented its documented attempts via WhatsApp as evidence to counter this allegation. MACC maintained that its actions were consistent with standard investigative protocols.
Standard Procedure for Notices to Trace

The commission explained that issuing a Notice to Trace an individual or witness to assist in investigations is a standard procedure employed by MACC and other enforcement agencies in Malaysia. Such notices are typically issued only after all reasonable attempts to contact the individual have failed, including direct telephone calls and visits to their last known address. MACC indicated that it issues between two and five such notices weekly, depending on the demands of ongoing investigations.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

Did MACC genuinely try to contact James Chai before public notice?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends