Lawyer demands status of 'thorough investigation' promised by MACC, AG in granting DNAA to Zahid

A lawyer has called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) to give an update on the "detailed, in-depth and comprehensive investigation" promised in September last year when they decided to temporarily drop 47 corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Rafique Rashid said that although it had been more than a year since Zahid was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) over the charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi, the authorities, including the attorney-general (AG), had remained "silent" on the case.

"The AG should respond now. The prime minister of our country is being questioned by the international media and he is stammering to answer," he said, referring to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's recent interview with prominent US-based journalist Mehdi Hasan.

In the interview, Anwar defended the decision to grant DNAA to Zahid but claimed that he did not interfere in the affairs of the AG.

When reminded by by Mehdi that the AG was appointed by him, Anwar replied: "Yes, but it is an independent decision by the attorney-general."

Rafique said the decision to let Zahid off had tarnished Malaysia's name.

"On the world stage, the prime minister says Malaysia is fighting corruption but his own deputy came out scot-free despite being told to enter defence."

Rafique recalled 11 reasons listed by the head of AGC's Appellate and Trial Division, Ahmad Dusuki Mokhtar, in September last year.

Among them, it was stated that the testimonies of witnesses in Zahid's trial "need to be examined by both the prosecution and the investigators".

It was also stated that MACC had called for further "detailed, comprehensive and in-depth investigations".

The list further referred to Zahid's claim that he was the victim of selective prosecution by the previous government and called for an investigation into the allegations by prosecutors and MACC.

Zahid, the Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman whose support was crucial for Anwar to form the government after the hung parliament in the 2022 general election, had faced 12 counts of criminal breach of trust, 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.

However, on Sept 4 last year, he was granted a DNAA after Dusuki, who had been appointed only a month earlier to replace deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran following her sudden "early retirement", informed the court of AGC's request to discontinue all proceedings.

On June 27, the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed the Malaysian Bar's application to challenge the AGC's decision to discontinue the proceedings against Zahid. The Bar is appealing the matter to the Court of Appeal.