Just three weeks after he was cleared by the attorney-general over allegations of corruption, Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan was today rewarded with a two-year contract to extend his stint as the country's top cop.

The government today announced that Musa's tenure as police chief has been extended until Sept 13, 2009.

Internal Security Ministry secretary-general Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said in a statement that the appointment under contract takes effect on Sept 14, a day after Musa's compulsory retirement.

The statement also said that King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has assented to the appointment based on Prime Minster Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's advice.

Abdullah had previously said that he was extending Musa's contract to allow the police chief to continue with his efforts to rid crime and corruption in the country.

"I hope the IGP's efforts are successful," said the premier in early July. He however had not disclosed the length of the contract.

Case closed

Musa faced Anti-Corruption Agency probe since June 18 on claims that he took RM2 million in bribe to free three criminal suspects held under the Emergency Ordinance.

However on July 27, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail ordered the ACA to close its investigation into the allegation.

Abdul Gani said the whole of the ACA investigation via witnesses and relevant documents have revealed nothing to link Musa to the allegation.

"Analysis of Musa's bank account statements also showed no entry of any suspicious amount of money into the accounts," he had said then.

While investigating Musa, the ACA carried out an extensive probe, including recording statements from several witnesses. Apart from checking his bank accounts, the ACA also inspected the assets owned by the police chief.

The ACA report against Musa was lodged by Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum through his officers.

The minister and the police chief are involved in a running battle after Johari was accused of accepting RM5 million in bribes for the release of three underworld figures under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows detention without trial.

He was also cleared by the attorney-general.

However it is believed that there is a split in the police force with one faction headed by Musa while another is led by a top police officer backed by Johari.

IO in Anwar's case

Musa has been the IGP since Sept 12, 2006, where he took over from Mohd Bakri Omar.

A law graduate from United Kingdom and he joined the service as an inspector on Nov 11, 1969.

Since then, he has held several important posts in the police force including as Malacca prosecuting officer in 1973, Bukit Aman narcotics division director in 1981 and Kuala Kubu Bahru Police College lecturer in 1986.

Musa held the post of Bukit Aman prosecution/criminal law deputy assistant director in 1995 and Johor chief police officer in 2003.

In 1999, he headed the team which investigated a sodomy case involving former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

During the trial, Musa had admitted in court that police had rewritten the sodomy charge after realising that the building where the crime allegedly occurred had not been built at the time stated in the charge.

In 2004, he was appointed as criminal investigation department director before being made deputy inspector-general of police a year later and then promoted to the country's No 1 cop the following year.