AG declines to comment on report AGC is 'flooded with plea bargain deals'

Attorney-general Idrus Harun has declined to comment on claims that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) is now flooded with requests for plea bargain deals following the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) giving to Riza Aziz on money-laundering charges.

Whistleblower site the Sarawak Report had yesterday published a report quoting sources connected to the AGC as saying that following the unexpected plea bargain deal and the change of Federal government that "all the criminal lawyers representing some 25 or so of these Umno defendants have been racing to come up with schemes to get their clients a deal”.

When asked by Malaysiakini if he had a response to the Sarawak Report article Idrus simply replied: "No."

The source had claimed that Riza’s request was "a one-off in November (last year) as not many would have dared to attempt it under the previous AG (Tommy Thomas)."

Under the deal, Riza, the stepson of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for charges of money laundering involving US$248 million (RM1.08 billion) linked to 1MDB funds.

In exchange, Riza is to return foreign assets estimated to be worth US$107.3 million (RM465.3 million).

The plea bargain has triggered a number of verbal exchanges with ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying he was confused and concerned over the deal, only for Najib to hit back about Mahathir's own sons.

Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan also weighed in by telling Mahathir not to be a hypocrite over the plea bargain.

Thomas has repeatedly distanced himself from the plea bargain saying he never sanctioned the settlement deal as doing so would have betrayed the trust of the prime minister and the Pakatan Harapan government.

This was in response to Idrus Harun saying that he acted upon advice that Thomas had agreed to the settlement terms “in principle”.

“Since Idrus is at pains to emphasise the weight he gave to my so-called ‘agreement in principle’, which itself is a fiction, let me state publicly that I would have never sanctioned this deal," said Thomas.

Aside from Najib and Riza's mother Rosmah Mansor, a number of prominent Umno leaders including party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Bung Moktar Radin, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Mohd Isa Abdul Samad and several others have been charged with corruption. - Mkini