NFA decision on Apandi probe troubling.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo has raised concerns over the transparency of investigations into former attorney-general Apandi Ali after a police probe into his role in the 1MDB scandal was classified as “no further action” (NFA).
On Jan 27, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail disclosed in a written parliamentary reply that investigation papers against Apandi, opened in July 2022, were closed and classified as NFA on Oct 5 the same year.
In a statement today, Sangeet said the decision was troubling, noting that a civil court had already substantiated evidence of Apandi’s improper handling of matters linked to 1MDB. This included his move to halt Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigations against Najib Abdul Razak and his rejection of calls to charge the former prime minister.
“This is not a small matter, yet police reports arising from these findings were investigated and closed as NFA within just a few months without any clear public explanation,” she said.
She pointed out that in a civil defamation suit filed by a private individual, the courts had acknowledged that serious and legitimate questions were raised over the closure of the 1MDB investigations.
“Were police investigations into this carried out with the same level of scrutiny? This government must provide details as to what was really investigated and also explain why this investigation was conducted and closed with such haste,” she added.
Apandi, a former Federal Court judge, was appointed attorney-general by Najib in 2015 after the sudden removal of Abdul Gani Patail. From 2015 to 2018, he made a series of decisions that hindered investigations into 1MDB and protected Najib, including terminating probes against the former prime minister.
In May 2022, Apandi lost a defamation suit against DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang over an opinion piece which he claimed implied that he was involved in the 1MDB financial scandal, was unethical, and had abused his powers as attorney-general. The High Court ruled that Lim was justified in raising the issue following Najib’s conviction in the SRC International case, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.
The High Court ruling led to a police investigation into Apandi in July 2022. However, there were no public updates on the probe until Saifuddin’s recent disclosure.
In December, Sangeet and former Klang MP Charles Santiago questioned the status of the investigation after the Kuala Lumpur High Court found Najib guilty on all four counts of abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB scandal.