PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) failed to find any elements of criminal offences in its investigation of appeal court judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Ghazali.
Anwar told the Dewan Negara today (June 19) that MACC had “thoroughly” investigated claims that Nazlan had a conflict of interest when, as a high court judge, he presided over Najib’s trial in the SRC International case.
“MACC has thoroughly investigated the matter and found that no criminal offence was committed. This matter has been approved by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC),” said the Prime Minister.
Anwar, who is also the Tambun MP, said the allegations that Nazlan had breached the Judges’ Code of Ethics were a non-issue as the Federal Court had made a ruling on the matter.
Furthermore, Najib had also retracted allegations of bribery against Nazlan in an affidavit to the Federal Court in August 2022.
Anwar also stated that the Federal Court had determined that Nazlan’s previous position as general counsel for Maybank had nothing to do with Najib’s allegations.
In a letter to Najib’s lawyers in March, Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said pointed out that the graft-buster had concluded that the judge had violated the code of ethics and had a conflict of interest while presiding over the SRC case.
She had said this was based on a report of MACC’s findings dated Feb 20, which the agency had extended to her.
It had also been reported that Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had written to Azalina asking her to confirm whether MACC found Nazlan to be in a conflict of interest when presiding over the SRC International case.
Azalina responded to Shafee with the statement that his “queries are answered in the affirmative.”
On July 28, 2020, Nazlan found Najib guilty on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust involving RM42 mil in the SRC International case, and sentenced him to 12 years in jail and an RM210 mil fine.
On December 8, 2021, the Court of Appeal of Malaysia dismissed the former Pekan MP’s appeal, affirming both his conviction and 12-year sentence.
Najib’s Pekan parliamentary seat was automatically vacated upon the dissolution of Parliament on October 10, 2022, and because he has been convicted of a crime, he is no longer able to participate in the 15th General Elections (GE15). – June 19, 2023
Main pic credit: The Star
