PUTRAJAYA, Jan 21 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today denied that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s 2015 termination as attorney-general was due to rumoured plans to charge him as the then prime minister, also denying that it was related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib said this while testifying in his own trial over his alleged money laundering of over RM2 billion 1MDB funds which had allegedly entered his private AmIslamic bank accounts in 2013.
Today, deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar asked Najib if he recalled that draft charges against him were exposed in the media sometime in 2015.
Najib replied: “I don’t really remember but I heard there were rumours.”
“But I myself did not check,” Najib said of these rumours of plans to charge him.
Kamal noted that Abdul Gani was then fired from his position as attorney general and public prosecutor, but Najib disagreed that the latter was sacked, saying: “He had a few problems, including health problems.”
As for Najib’s previous court testimony that he had recommended Abdul Gani to be a Federal Court judge, he said today that he had not discussed such plans with Gani, but confirmed that the “process” then had started.
Najib said Abdul Gani did not pass the process to be a Federal Court judge, but maintained that he wanted the latter to become a Federal Court judge. Najib did not elaborate what this “process” was.
When asked why there was a need to remove Abdul Gani from the attorney general position if he did not end up becoming a Federal Court judge, Najib merely replied again: “Because he has certain problems including health problems.”
Najib agreed that his own court testimony previously did not mention Abdul Gani’s health problems as a reason.
Kamal Baharin then cited late former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa’s testimony in a separate trial against Najib over the alleged tampering of the auditor-general’s 1MDB audit report.
In that separate trial, Ali Hamsa had said he had personally handed over the termination letter to Abdul Gani, with Ali Hamsa testifying that Abdul Gani’s service was terminated as Najib had lost trust (hilang kepercayaan) towards Abdul Gani.
But Najib denied this, saying: “No, not true. If I had no trust, I would not try to elevate him as judge.”
Kamal Baharin: The termination of Tan Sri Abdul Gani’s service as attorney general actually was connected to the proposal to charge you?
Najib: No, disagree.
MORE TO COME
