PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has accused former attorney-general Tommy Thomas of engaging in a cover-up in his tell-all memoir.
Specifically, he said Thomas had evaded the topic of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng's charges being dropped in 2018.
"There are things he should not have written about right now. But there are things that he hid in his writing, especially involving Lim.
"Why wasn't it touched on at all? The issue of dropping Lim's charges even though the case was ongoing. The issue is not the case (per se), but why it wasn't touched on at all in his writings?" Tuan Ibrahim told reporters in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan yesterday.
There is actually one line regarding Lim's corruption case in Thomas' book entitled My story: Justice in the wilderness.
It reads: "(Former solicitor-general Mohamad) Hanafiah (Zakaria) himself issued one to explain the reasons he took in deciding to withdraw criminal charges against Lim Guan Eng."
Thomas did not go into further detail, nor did he say what the criminal charges against Lim were.
This has raised eyebrows as the move to drop the charges against Lim had been one of the chief criticisms against Thomas during his tenure as attorney-general.
He had responded in length to other issues he had been criticised for, including the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim and the dropping of charges against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 12.
Lim had been charged in 2016 for allegedly seeking gratification for himself as the then chief minister involving the conversion of Penang state land from agriculture to residential.
He was also charged over the purchase of a bungalow at below market price from the owner of a company tied to the land conversion deal.
Defamation claim
Thomas had represented Lim when the latter was cited for contempt for claiming the charges against him were an abuse of power.
In August 2018, Thomas recused himself from any decision that the Attorney-General's Chambers would make regarding Lim's case.
This was two months after Thomas was sworn-in as attorney-general.
In September 2018, the prosecution withdrew all charges against Lim and requested the Penang High Court to consider a dismissal not amounting to an acquittal.
The court, however, granted Lim a full acquittal.
Hanafiah, who was the appellate and trial division/deputy public prosecutor head, at the time said he made the decision without fear or favour.
"I wish to stress that I have decided on the representations without any influence from any quarters," he had said.
Hanafiah has lodged a police report against Thomas over alleged defamation of him in the latter's memoir. - Mkini
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