Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali risks being perceived as a "jaguh kampung" (home ground champion) if he fails to register an official complaint on US attorney-general Jeff Sessions' description of the 1MDB scandal as "kleptocracy at its worst", said a senior lawyer who represents Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla said Apandi should file an official complaint with the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur and demand an apology on behalf of Malaysia.
"At the same time, Apandi should also appoint a lawyer in the US to intervene in the legal process of forfeiture there if what is claimed by Sessions is false and show proof that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is not involved in the scandal.
"If Apandi does not do this, he would be seen as a 'jaguh kampung' and 'pengecut antarabangsa' (international coward)," he added.
Speaking at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery in Washington DC on Monday, Sessions said almost half of the US$3.5 billion (RM14.2 billion) corruption proceeds seized by the US government came from the 1MDB-related civil forfeiture suits.
He alleged that corrupt officials and their associates reportedly used the 1MDB funds for a "lavish spending spree" such as US$200 million (RM813 million) for real estate in South California and New York, US$130 million (RM529 million) in artwork, US$100 million (RM406 million) in an American music label and a US$265 million (RM1 billion) yacht.
[More to follow]
-Mkini
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