LANGKAWI – The government was right to remove former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, who was treated like any other ineffective officer, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr Mahathir said Apandi’s removal was not personal as it was the government’s prerogative to get rid of officers who do not do their jobs well, and added that he was ready to defend the decision he made when he helmed the country.
“Other people did not file for settlements, only Apandi.
“Apandi cleared sixth prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of any wrongdoing, but when Najib was brought to court, he was guilty of all seven charges (relating to SRC International Sdn Bhd).
“So what kind of AG is that?” he said after the launch of the Mahasiti brand at Mercure Langkawi here today.
Dr Mahathir added that the AG’s job is to be impartial and follow the rule of law, accusing Apandi of siding with Najib.
He said he is ready to go to court and that the government should not agree to the settlement because it was not wrong in removing Apandi on June 4, 2019.
Earlier, Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun said he had informed Dr Mahathir of the terms of Apandi’s settlement and following that, Apandi withdrew his suit.
“I can only confirm that Tun (Dr Mahathir) wrote recently seeking information on the terms of settlement. I had already replied to inform him of the terms of settlement,” he said via WhatsApp when asked to comment on the matter.
Apandi had sought RM2,233,599.36 in special, general and exemplary damages, costs, and other relief deemed fit by the court on October 13, 2020.
On April 13, the high court here struck out the suit after the government agreed to settle the case without any admission of liability, and the terms of settlement could not be disclosed publicly.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir, expressed surprise and disagreement with the way the suit was settled out of court in a Facebook post.
He added that he was not told of the terms of the settlement despite being the main witness in the case. – The Vibes, May 7, 2022
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