Ambiga, ex-envoy slam Anwar govt's anti-corruption 'baloney' after Zahid discharge

Former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan today hit out at the decision to grant Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for 47 corruption charges in his Yayasan Akalbudi case, saying an explanation is owed to the public. 

"An utter waste of public funds in proving a prima facie case and a waste of all the hard work by members of the Attorney-General's Chambers," she said in a Twitter post. 

"And I hope no UG politician dares to justify this or ever again say they are anti-corruption," she added, referring to the initials for the unity government label used by Anwar Ibrahim's administration.

The DNAA was given after the Attorney-General's Chambers decided to discontinue the case against Zahid.

The prosecution applied for the DNAA earlier today, while Zahid's defence had argued for a full acquittal of the charges against him. 

Zahid had faced 12 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), eight of corruption, and 27 of money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

Among the CBT charges was that he allegedly settled his credit card debts using Yayasan Akalbudi through 44 cheques amounting to some RM1.3 million between January 2013 and December 2016.

Former ambassador Dennis Ignatius meanwhile said that the DNAA came as no surprise. 

"That was the plan all along; the price Anwar willingly paid to be prime minister. 

"All that anti-corruption and good government baloney was for the gullible people out there who still believe in reformasi," he said on Twitter. 

Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on the back of support from Zahid and his 30 MPs from Barisan Nasional, following the general election last year which resulted in a hung parliament.