KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — What started as a routine attendance for Datin Seri Pamela Ling Yueh as a witness assisting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has now turned into a full-blown police investigation following her abrupt disappearance last month.

Missing since April 9, 42-year-old Ling had failed to appear at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya, prompting her lawyers to file a police report the same day.

With authorities being tight-lipped about the case, here’s a primer on what we know so far:

Ling’s background

According to Ling’s lawyer Datuk N Sivananthan, Ling and her husband (later identified as Datuk Seri Hah Tiing Siu) were undergoing a contentious divorce in both Singapore and Malaysia, involving a substantial estate.

The couple has been under MACC investigations for alleged corruption and money laundering offences since May 2024.

In January, Ling was remanded for investigation following a joint operation with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) of Singapore after being arrested and repatriated to Malaysia. She was later released on bail.

On the day she went missing, Ling was en route to Putrajaya in an e-hailing vehicle when she was intercepted by three vehicles.

The ride was later marked completed despite Ling’s no-show at the MACC office.

Her phone was last detected near the MEX highway close to Pusat Bandar Putra Permai at 1.52pm.

To date, no ransom demands have been made either.

Another family lawyer, Sangeet Kaur Deo said Ling had also filed a court case to challenge the agency’s actions just two days before her disappearance last month, claiming that MACC had carried out a “sustained and systematic campaign of pressure over several months” on Ling.

Ling had filed a judicial review at the High Court where she challenged the MACC’s actions of having allegedly arrested and remanded her without proper legal basis and in breach of due process.

Among others, Ling also claimed that the MACC had allegedly used its powers under the MACC Act and the anti-money laundering law to “exert pressure on Pamela to resolve private disputes with her estranged husband, rather than for legitimate investigative purposes”.

What the authorities has said

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said police are investigating the possibility that Ling was abducted by individuals impersonating police officers or legitimate authorities.

The uniformed individuals claim stemmed from an eyewitness account of the e-hailing driver who was transporting Ling at the time.

He also declined to comment on whether Ling’s alleged abduction was planned by certain parties due to assets or wealth she possessed but did not rule out the possibility that the case was orchestrated to discredit MACC and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).

So far, statements from 16 individuals have been taken including Ling’s husband himself.

MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki was quoted as saying that it was unfair to blame MACC for Ling’s disappearance “as the incident was beyond their control and occurred on a public road and not within the MACC compound”.

Azam reportedly said there was no way to predict any threat to Ling’s safety as there were no such signs in her past appearances at the MACC headquarters for the money laundering investigations.

In its most recent statement, MACC also clarified it acted within the legal framework, including obtaining all necessary court orders and adhering to the established procedures.

MACC also rejected allegations of harassment or misconduct as unfounded as previously raised by Ling’s counsel in her judicial review against the agency for having allegedly arrested and remanded her without proper legal basis and in breach of due process.