'It wasn't for entertainment or luxury' - IGP defends Turkey trip

Inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun has defended the visit by several senior police officers, including himself, to Turkey, stressing that it was for study and not entertainment.

"This is not the first such trip as it's been done five times. We followed the required procedure by applying to the relevant agencies, including the Home Ministry.

"There have been many untrue claims which, among others, claimed the trip was for entertainment, gambling, luxury and was an abuse of funds," he was quoted as saying by Astro Awani.

Fuzi, who was attending a function at a hotel in Sandakan, said the official visit, sponsored by the Totalisator Board of Malaysia, touched on many topics concerning the police.

"Our team were there to obtain information - to discuss and learn about the Islamic State (IS) issue, combating illegal gambling, human trafficking and cross-border crime," he was quoted as saying.

Fuzi said a complete report will be submitted to the Home Ministry on the outcome of the trip.

"I don't know how this suddenly became an issue and was linked to a betting company," he was quoted as saying.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said it was not wrong for Fuzi and other top officers to have gone to Turkey as it was not directly sponsored by a private company.

He said the visit was sponsored by the Totalisator Board of Malaysia, which is under the Finance Ministry.

The board oversees the horse betting industry in Malaysia.