KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Tan Sri Azam Baki will not disclose instructions from Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) on the completed investigation into judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
He said he will refrain from commenting on the matter, reported Free Malaysia Today.
“We have completed our investigation. As I have said before, I am unable to announce what further instructions we (will) receive from the AGC,” he was quoted as saying.
It was reported in early September that the investigation papers in the Court of Appeal judge were returned to MACC after the attorney-general (AG) said they were not with him.
Azam had said it was a normal process for the papers to be sent back to the agency repeatedly for further investigation, he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
On August 21, AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun said the papers on Nazlan were not with his office.
This came after Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan urged MACC to clarify whether there was a case against Nazlan, while insisting that AGC should state if there would be any further action taken on submitted investigation papers.
This follows developments in Najib’s final appeal in the Federal Court on his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption conviction, wherein the apex court refused his application to adduce new evidence pertaining to the alleged conflict of interest involving Nazlan.
On May 21, MACC in a statement said it was up to AGC – seeing that the anti-graft agency had completed its investigation of Nazlan, including collecting relevant evidence in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.
Nazlan was the presiding high court judge in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s SRC International trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court which commenced in April 2019 and also delivered the guilty verdict in July 2020.
He was also the judge who convicted and sentenced Najib on charges relating to RM42 million belonging to SRC International in July 2020.
MACC was heavily criticised after it launched an investigation into Nazlan, with senior lawyers and politicians warning that it was an attack on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.
The investigation on Nazlan was launched after three complaints were lodged on March 14, April 23, and April 27. – The Vibes, September 29, 2022
