Attorney-General Idrus Harun and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob are under fire after the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) last week confirmed it responded to fugitive Jho Low's attempt to negotiate out of his arrest.
The AGC said it met with lawyers for Low, who is wanted for the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB corruption case, but rejected offers for a deal.
According to The Edge, Low, 40, allegedly offered RM1.5 billion to the government to settle charges against him, but the AGC did not confirm that any cash was offered.
Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng said the AG was statutorily and legally bound to do all he can to bring Low (above) to book but instead allowed AGC representatives to meet with Low's representatives.
As such, he said, the prime minister must now answer why this was so, and if his government was in the dark over Idrus' decision.
"Did the AGC convey to Low’s representatives that the Malaysian government strongly advises Low to surrender himself to the Malaysian authorities?
"Unless Idrus gives a full account of this disgraceful affair, he is clearly unqualified to be the attorney-general.
"Further, Idrus, by appearing prepared to cut a deal with Low, would be no different from forgiving and absolving Low of his crimes and pernicious role as one of the key masterminds of the RM52 billion 1MDB financial scandal, the largest in global history," said former finance minister Lim in a statement.
Is Apandi complicit in hiding info?
Fellow DAP MP Charles Santiago said the fact that Low is being represented by former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali also calls to question whether Low is truly out of reach from enforcement agencies.
"Does this mean that some powerful people know the whereabouts of Jho Low? It’s outrageous that former AG Apandi would represent the fugitive, who plays a prominent role in the embezzlement of 1MDB funds.
"If Apandi knows where to find him, isn’t he complicit in hiding info? Why hasn’t he been questioned?" he asked in a statement.
Charles said Apandi should produce Low in court to be charged and Idrus must also do his part to ensure this happens.
"While the AG did the right thing in not negotiating a settlement, he too has an added responsibility to make sure the fugitive faces the law in Malaysia for stealing from the people," said the Klang MP.
Apandi last week confirmed that Low’s lawyers approached him to arrange meetings between them and the AGC.
“The purpose of the meetings was to discuss the repatriation of monies allegedly siphoned by Low from 1MDB,” he said.
Believed to be in China
Low is the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal and has been charged in absentia in US and Malaysian courts.
He is currently at large and his whereabouts are not publicly known despite police efforts to track him down and extradite him. It is believed that he is in China.
In 2018, the US Department of Justice charged Low with conspiracy to launder billions of dollars from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund and conspiracy to violate the American Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In Malaysia, he and his associates are facing five money-laundering charges amounting to US$1.03 billion (RM5.78 billion).
He also faces a separate money-laundering charge with his aide Eric Tan Kim Loong for US$125.97 million (RM560 million).
In 2020, the MACC brought another charge against Low and his associates, this time for allegedly engaging in a criminal conspiracy to enable former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to use his position to receive a bribe totalling RM60,629,839.43.
Low repeatedly claimed he was innocent and said in a 2020 interview that he was merely an intermediary in 1MDB’s dealings. - Mkini
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