Ambiga: The more you hide, the more suspicious it gets

The more attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali tries to hide facts of the matter in relation to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s case, the more suspicious people will be.

And this is therefore the reason why prominent lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan believes that the attorney-general cannot refuse to explain his decision to clear Najib of any wrongdoing.

“If indeed the prime minister is innocent, what is there to hide?” queried Ambiga.

“There should be full disclosure, it’s better for the prime minister. And this is not an ordinary person we are talking about, it’s the prime minister of the country.

“The more they try and hide, the more suspicious people get. If indeed he's clear, show us,” she told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

Apandi (photo), she added, acts on behalf of the public.

“When he does that (acting on behalf of the public), we are entitled to question him.

“When he gave his reasons, the reasons didn't seem to support his decision not to prosecute (Najib)," she said.

And should the attorney-general continue to say that he will not prosecute (Najib), then all the more reason why he owes the public a better explanation on the matter, added Ambiga.

The former Bar Council chairperson further stressed that those involved in the case should “stop testing the patience of the people” on the matter.

“It has gone on for too long, enough is enough. They are seriously testing the patience of the people,” she said.

Commenting on the various blogs which have been blocked by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Ambiga queried whether such actions were supposed to inspire confidence in the people.

“If you want to inspire confidence in people, be frank with us, don’t do this.

“This is not the behaviour of honest people, it’s the behaviour of people who want to hide,” she said.

The blogs could not be accessed on certain platforms since this morning.

Right to challenge AG's decision

Meanwhile, asked whether the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should resort to taking the attorney-general to court, Ambiga said she believes there is no reason for them not to do so.

“I think they can, based on the High Court decision (where Justice Vazeer Alam ruled that the decision of the attorney-general can be challenged)."

She also agreed that Malaysians have the constitutional right to challenge the attorney-general’s decision.

“I believe so, because he’s acting on our behalf,” she said.

Apandi on Tuesday said there were no grounds to press charges against the prime minister and instructed the MACC to close the files.

MACC had submitted three investigation papers, one on the RM2.6 billion and two on the SRC International case, where RM42 million was transferred into the prime minister's accounts. -Mkini