KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali was in tears when recalling his tenure as the attorney-general (AG) from 2015 to 2018, at the high court here today, during the trial of his defamation suit against DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang over an article on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.
He could not hold back his emotions after responding to a question by his lawyer, M. Visvanathan, on the third day of the trial before judge Datuk Azimah Omar.
Answering a question over a foreign news article about the scandal, which was raised by Lim’s lawyers yesterday, Apandi said the New York Times report appeared immediately after his press conference on January 26, 2016.
He said as AG, he had to play the dual role of legal adviser to the government and public prosecutor, and thus did not have much time to read local or foreign newspapers.
He pointed out that he was not only legal adviser to the federal government, but also to all the states in Malaysia.
“(In) my position as public prosecutor, there are thousands of investigation papers, which I delegated to my officers in the respective states, except for high-profile cases… involving high-profile personalities, that’s how busy I was.
“I hardly managed to take any leave as this was not ‘a walk in the park job’. It was a heavy burden that has taken a toll on my health.
“I am now subject to National Heart Institute check-ups because of the stress.”
Apandi said he was appointed as AG at 65, and did not clock the full number of years and months to receive a full pension.
“That is the sacrifice I have made… as the AG position is not a pensionable post; it was a contract post. There is no pension attached to me.
“Thank you for allowing me to express (myself). I have been keeping this (information), and people have been condemning me.
“Sorry, could not proceed,” he said, with tears running down his cheeks, while his lawyers tried to calm him down.
Apandi said he has never asked or lobbied to be AG.
“I was a Federal Court judge looking forward to retire when I was appointed as AG.”
The hearing will continue tomorrow. – Bernama, April 7, 2021
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