'Why were AG and Shafee not questioned over Mat Zain SD?'

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has questioned why police have yet to haul up other actors mentioned in the statutory declaration made by former top cop Mat Zain Ibrahim.

They include the country's top public prosecutor, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and prominent lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

“...As I have been told many times, nobody is above the law," he told reporters at the PKR headquarters today.

Mat Zain has been called in by police today to give a statement on the matter, following his police report accusing Muhammad Shafee of allegedly making false statements in a recent affidavit to the Court of Appeal.

The former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigations department chief had also about a month ago passed on his SD to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for further action, but did not receive a reply.

Among others, the SD relates how Shafee had informed Mat Zain that the team led by Abdul Gani had allegedly submitted a doctored photograph as evidence in the Batu Puteh territorial dispute, leading to Malaysia's loss in the case.

He also alleged that Abdul Gani had received funds via Hong Kong - a claim Abdul Gani has denied.

Abdul Gani has also offered to show PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramlihis accounts to clear his name, after Rafizi said he will lodge a complaint with Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Mat Zain's SD relates a conversation between him, Shafee (right), former police commercial crimes department chief Ramli Yusoff, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Mahathir's former political secretary Matthias Chang at Mahathir's residence in Seri Kembangan on Aug 10.

The SD has prompted Anwar to file an application to remove Shafeeas lead counsel in the government's appeal against Anwar's sodomy acquittal.

Anwar argues that Shafee, who has been appointed by the Attorney-General's Chambers to represent the government, is unfit as he allegedly kept mum on serious graft.

On December 5, Mat Zain was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for close to seven hours on his claim in the SD that money was transferred to a foreign bank account after Malaysia lost Pulau Batu Puteh.

"I am very happy and satisfied with the manner my statements were recorded by two very senior and experienced officers. I shall not disclose what I told them, though," Mat Zain had told Malaysiakini.

Even so, he had added that he hoped Najib “would not hide behind” MACC’s probe and fail to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the matter.