Dr Mahathir Why No Action Against Apandi Over 1mdb Handling

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Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finds it strange that up till today, no action or investigation has been initiated against former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali over the way he had handled the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case. -NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAHKUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finds it strange that up till today, no action or investigation has been initiated against former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali over the way he had handled the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.
The former prime minister said Apandi had committed an offence by absolving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is now in jail, of any criminal wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal in January, 2016.
"Apandi committed the offence when he was the A-G before (Tan Sri) Tommy Thomas who was appointed the A-G in 2018.
"The offence was freeing Datuk Seri Najib from any legal action. This clearly shows Apandi was involved in 'closing' the 1MDB scandal, when Najib is now in jail," said Dr Mahathir in a video on his official Facebook page tonight.
Dr Mahathir said High Court judge Datuk Azimah Omar, in her 100-page written judgment, on May 23 this year, had rejected Apandi's defamation suit against DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang.
-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by "Azimah had concluded that Apandi, among others, was someone who did not speak the truth, failed to perform his duties as the A-G and there was basis for this to be investigated under suspicion of collaborating and protecting the crimes of 1MDB," he said.
Dr Mahathir said Azimah had also expressed "the disdain of the court to the sordid extent of Apandi's self contradictory testimony, evasiveness and outright untruth".
"Following Azimah's judgment, many police reports were lodged against Apandi but until now, no action has been taken.
"Instead, the government compensated Apandi millions of ringgit because the previous government had terminated his services due to failure to discharge his duties," he said.
On Jan 26, 2016, the Attorney-General's Chambers cleared Najib of any criminal wrongdoing in the case involving a donation from the Middle East, as well as that involving SRC International Sdn Bhd.
In a press conference, Apandi said their investigation had shown that the prime minister had committed no wrongdoing in the cases.
"I am satisfied that based on the evidence submitted to me by MACC, the sum of US$681 million (RM2.08 billion) transferred into the personal account of the prime minister between March 22 and April 10 in 2013 was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family, given without any consideration.
"I am satisfied that there was no evidence to show that the donation was a form of gratification given corruptly.
"The evidence showed that the donation was not an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing in relation to his capacity as a prime minister," he had been quoted as saying.
In 2020, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found Najib guilty of misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International's funds and ordered him to be jailed for 12 years and RM210 million fine for the seven charges he faced.
Najib's appeals to the Court of Appeal and Federal Court proved unsuccessful, with the apex court ordering him to begin serving his sentence on Aug 23 this year. - NST

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