KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail (pic) was removed as attorney general after then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak lost trust in him, the High Court heard.
The revelation was made yesterday by former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa, 64, who said he personally handed the termination letter to Abdul Gani in 2015.
He said then deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was also fired from the job after making “all the noise” in Cabinet meetings regarding the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Ali was questioned during examination-in-chief by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram in the joint trial of Najib and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy relating to the tampering of the 1MDB final audit report before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Sri Ram had asked Ali to explain the circumstances under which Abdul Gani left office.
“In my opinion, there was no trust on Abdul Gani actually (by the then prime minister),” Ali said, and then rephrased his answer as “loss of trust”. Sri Ram probed deeper but Ali seemed hesitant to answer.
Sri Ram: Don’t be quiet. You can speak, Tan Sri. This is the court of law.
Ali: My Lord, when I handed over the letter to Abdul Gani, telling that he had been released from the AG’s post, I sat with him. He said he expected this to happen.
Asked what led to the loss of trust, Ali said there were issues with Muhyiddin at that time.
He said Abdul Gani and Muhyiddin had met somewhere at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.
“I can’t make any conclusion on that, but maybe that is one thing that became an issue.
“Muhyiddin did ask a lot of questions and raise issues about 1MDB,” he said.
As a result, he said Muhyiddin was removed from his post as deputy prime minister.
“When we sat in Cabinet meetings, we saw arguments going on. It was mostly one-sided. Muhyiddin was making all the noise in the Cabinet, we knew something was coming up,” he said.
Najib is accused of using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was tabled to the PAC to avoid any action against him.
He allegedly committed the offence in Putrajaya between Feb 22 and Feb 26, 2016.
Arul Kanda was charged with abetting Najib at the same place and time. The hearing before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues.
The revelation was made yesterday by former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa, 64, who said he personally handed the termination letter to Abdul Gani in 2015.
He said then deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was also fired from the job after making “all the noise” in Cabinet meetings regarding the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Ali was questioned during examination-in-chief by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram in the joint trial of Najib and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy relating to the tampering of the 1MDB final audit report before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Sri Ram had asked Ali to explain the circumstances under which Abdul Gani left office.
“In my opinion, there was no trust on Abdul Gani actually (by the then prime minister),” Ali said, and then rephrased his answer as “loss of trust”. Sri Ram probed deeper but Ali seemed hesitant to answer.
Sri Ram: Don’t be quiet. You can speak, Tan Sri. This is the court of law.
Ali: My Lord, when I handed over the letter to Abdul Gani, telling that he had been released from the AG’s post, I sat with him. He said he expected this to happen.
Asked what led to the loss of trust, Ali said there were issues with Muhyiddin at that time.
He said Abdul Gani and Muhyiddin had met somewhere at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur.
“I can’t make any conclusion on that, but maybe that is one thing that became an issue.
“Muhyiddin did ask a lot of questions and raise issues about 1MDB,” he said.
As a result, he said Muhyiddin was removed from his post as deputy prime minister.
“When we sat in Cabinet meetings, we saw arguments going on. It was mostly one-sided. Muhyiddin was making all the noise in the Cabinet, we knew something was coming up,” he said.
Najib is accused of using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was tabled to the PAC to avoid any action against him.
He allegedly committed the offence in Putrajaya between Feb 22 and Feb 26, 2016.
Arul Kanda was charged with abetting Najib at the same place and time. The hearing before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
