PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar has proposed that its former president Ambiga Sreenevasan be considered for the post of Attorney-General (AG).
Its president George Varughese said Ambiga would be independent and free from political pressure, and also enjoy the confidence of the public and the legal fraternity.
Varughese said the AG was the principal legal adviser to the government and it was important for the prime minister to have someone who was competent.
“In appointing a new AG, factors such as race, religion and gender must not form any part of the selection process,” he said in response to FMT’s query whether the Bar has anyone in mind to be recommended to hold the post.
Yesterday, Varughese said the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government must appoint separate individuals to hold the posts of AG and Public Prosecutor (PP) to prevent a conflict of interest.
At present, the AG is both the principal legal adviser to the government and also the PP.
The PH’s election manifesto has pledged to separate the responsibility of the AG from that of the PP.
It further pledged that the AG will be appointed from qualified MPs and will be a minister, acting as legal adviser to the government.
The PP, meanwhile, will be an individual who is free from political interest, with autonomy in carrying out prosecution.
Current AG Mohamed Apandi Ali is under pressure to resign after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused him of concealing evidence linked to alleged 1MDB wrongdoings.
His three-year contract, which expires on July 27, was however extended by the Barisan Nasional government for another three years just before the general election. – FMT
Former chief Abu Kassim to return to MACC?
PETALING JAYA: Following the resignation of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, his predecessor Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed (pic) is widely tipped to take over as the top graft-buster.
A source said Abu Kassim would most likely return to head the MACC and “finish what he left behind” after he was replaced by Dzulkifli in August 2016.
Abu was appointed MACC commissioner on Jan 1, 2010.
While many thought he had retired, the source said Abu Kassim was “exiled” to a small department in UiTM.
On speculation that Abu Kassim would be the upcoming Attorney-General, the source said: “It is unlikely because he does not really have a law background”.
Abu Kassim holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the Michigan State University and a Bachelor in Social Science from Universiti Sains Malaysia.
It is learnt that Abu Kassim is currently performing the umrah in Mecca. – ANN
Urgent need to reorganise AG’s Chambers, says anti-graft group
PETALING JAYA: An anti-graft NGO has called for an urgent reorganisation of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the appointment of an independent AG to review graft cases linked to Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders critical of the Najib Razak administration.
This came after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng raised the spectre of political motives behind his ongoing graft case.
Yesterday, Lim had said that PH’s victory in the May 9 election was a “judgment of the people on the truth”, and that this raised questions on the veracity and reliability of cases against leaders like him.
Speaking to FMT, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel said a new, independent AG would ascertain which graft cases were genuine or otherwise.
“If, after a review, political party leaders are still implicated in corruption, they shouldn’t accept any government position. The current AG, Apandi Ali, has been shown to demonstrate a great deal of bias,” she said.
Cynthia said ideally, reforms to the AGC, including the separation of roles between the AG and the public prosecutor, should come first but that this would take a lot of time.
“So a shorter-term measure is to have a new AG review the cases. This is why it’s important for the new AG not to be a political appointee.
“We recommend that such a person be an independent and qualified individual such as a former judge or former Bar Council president.”
Meanwhile, former Transparency International Malaysia president Ramon Navaratnam called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to review existing cases after being reformed and strengthened.
“The most important thing is for the MACC to be independent.
“Once things have been put in place, they should carry out a review of all cases.”
Similarly, he said, other institutions such as the AGC and judiciary needed to be strengthened as well.
He added, however, that until such reforms were carried out, leaders must be careful when making statements which could be construed as interfering with institutions or legal processes.
“If there are cases in court, these cases should continue. Let the facts absolve anyone accused of wrongdoing.”
Navaratnam said post-election, the people expected a higher level of integrity, transparency and efficiency, and the PH-led government must deliver on this.
– FREEMALAYSIATODAY
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.