KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — Former federal Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) director Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh today dismissed fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's allegation that the former had protected loan shark cartels during his tenure.

After his family was accused of being loan sharks, Amar rubbished the claim and told Malay Mail that there is no need for his family to resort to criminal activity as they all work in professional lines.

"My immediate and extended family are all professionals ... doctors, accountants and investment bankers. We don’t need to venture into loan sharking,” he told Malay Mail.

Raja Petra, currently holed up somewhere in the United Kingdom, accused the retired police commissioner of allowing loan sharks to walk in and out of his office in Bukit Aman freely.

He also claimed that every police officer at Bukit Aman knew about it.

Raja Petra’s allegation comes after a recent statement by current Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, who claimed a cartel of officers are working to oust him, with officers afraid to take action because former top cops, including former IGPs, were fine with pocketing bribes and are still looking to influence proceedings within the police force.

This is not the first time Raja Petra has taken a swipe at Amar. He had in the past also claimed that Amar was seeking Canadian citizenship after blundering investigations into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

"It’s absolutely hilarious how this person is trying to undermine me. First, he stated that I am running off to Canada and now he states that my family and I run a loan shark cartel.

"He’s obviously being paid by person(s) of interest to write lies about me so as to undermine me and thus get sympathy and question the raid related to 1MDB,” Amar said.

"I am a Malaysian and will always be one... I don’t need to migrate to Canada or anywhere else. I am proud to be a Malaysian. I can’t say the same for Raja Petra who spews lies and hides behind the curtains of digital jurisdiction,” he further added.

In 2018, Amar had led the raids on the Pavilion Residences condominiums and a house in Taman Duta owned by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that saw the seizure of hundreds of high-end handbags, cash in various currencies, gold, jewellery and luxury watches, linked to 1MDB.

Amar was supposed to have retired on June 6, 2018 after attaining the full pensionable age of 60-years-old, but due to work commitments in 1MDB investigations, he had his contract extended for another six months until December 6, 2018.

Raja Petra has been on the run from Malaysian police since 2009, after he failed to appear in court for defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in an article on his website.