Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, the prominent Malaysian blogger known as Ratu Naga, has recently found herself in the spotlight of an investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). In a video posted on TikTok, she expressed bewilderment at being linked to Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, a political figure, stating that she has no association with him.
"Call Shamsul up instead, why drag me in?" she questioned in the video. "Considering that I am only an activist on social media, don't drag me into your political games."
Syarul Ema suggested that the MACC focus its investigation on Shamsul Iskandar instead, as he is the political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. She emphasized that she had lodged two reports with the MACC, one on January 15 regarding Anwar and another on January 8 regarding information from the leaked Pandora Papers on Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. She believed that the raid on her house was initially connected to these reports.
However, she later learned that she was being investigated for alleged links to Shamsul Iskandar. Syarul Ema expressed frustration, claiming that the MACC did not provide a reason for her investigation and did not allow her access to her lawyer or her husband while being questioned at their headquarters.
"My lawyer was there, but I was not allowed to speak to her," she stated.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki clarified that Syarul Ema was summoned to record her statement to aid an investigation under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009.
This is not the first time Syarul Ema has faced legal scrutiny. In October 2023, she was the subject of a police probe over social media posts allegedly defaming Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In December 2023, she filed a lawsuit against the government seeking to nullify a provision in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 that requires organizers to inform police about gatherings in advance, claiming it is unenforceable.
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