The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has withdrawn its appeal against PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli's acquittal in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 (Bafia) case.
Rafizi’s (above) lawyer Ahmad Nizam Hamid confirmed this with Malaysiakini today.
“What happened this morning is that the attorney-general (Tommy Thomas), through a deputy public prosecutor, withdrew the appeal notice that was filed previously.
“The notice was personally signed by Thomas himself.
“This means the Nov 15 decision by the High Court in Shah Alam to acquit Rafizi stands. Rafizi is now free,” Nizam said when contacted this afternoon.
The appeal was heard by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, before judges Yaacob Md Sam, P Ravinthran and Abu Bakar Jais.
Nizam thanked Thomas for his decision and said this marked a close to the seven-year NFC saga.
“A big thank you to the AG.
“For me, his decision to retract the appeal notice is closure. This is the end of the NFC case... I am happy and Rafizi is also happy. We will move forward,” he said.
Nizam maintained that the former Pandan MP had no personal financial interest in the NFC case except to “save public funds”.
Following the High Court decision to acquit both Rafizi and bank clerk Johari Mohamad of their NFC Bafia charges, plus discharge them from their 30-month jail sentences, the AGC filed an appeal against the decision, sparking uproar.
Thomas later clarified that he was unaware of the move and said he had not instructed his officers to do so.
He also vowed to take disciplinary action on the "disobedient" officers who filed the appeal.
First charged in 2012, Rafizi and Johari were found guilty last year of violating Bafia in disclosing to the media confidential bank details related to the NFC corruption scandal.
Bafia was repealed in 2013.
The High Court overturned the decision after finding that the prosecution had failed to produce original documents as required by Section 61 of the Evidence Act 1950.
The Court of Appeal was initially slated to hear the AGC’s appeal on March 9, 2020, but moved the case for mention to today. - Mkini
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