PETALING JAYA: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman (pix) has confirmed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has sent a report about its investigation on Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali to the Chief Justice.
FMT reported that Azalina said in the Dewan Rakyat that MACC sent her a letter confirming the agency’s submission of the report to Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat on Feb 21.
The report is about MACC’s investigation into Nazlan’s alleged breach of the Judge’s Code of Ethics 2009.
But, Azalina said that the letter had no additional information on the matter.
She added that the matter falls under the Attorney-General’s (AG) scope and that he had the authority and discretion to start proceedings against anyone, including judges.
“However, the government will not interfere,” she said.
Azalina was answering Manndzri Nasib’s (BN-Tenggara) and Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s questions, also who urged her to reveal the outcome of MACC’s probe against Nazlan.
In September last year, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the investigation had been completed but could not reveal more details regarding the case, under the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) instructions.
Nazlan had presided over former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s SRC International trial which he found him guilty of the criminal breach of trust and money laundering and abuse of power, thereby sentencing him to 12 years imprisonment and issued a fine of RM210 million.
Later on, during Najib’s appeal at the Federal Court, he was prevented from arguing that Nazlan was under a conflict of interest upon him presiding over the trial. Najib lost the appeal and is at Kajang Prison carrying out his sentence.
Meanwhile, in April last year, MACC stated that it had opened an investigation paper after a report was lodged about a mysterious amount of more than RM1 million found in Nazlan’s bank account.
Nazlan then lodged a police report over the allegation, calling it “false, baseless and malicious” which aimed at compromise his credibility as a judge.
