PARLIAMENT | The Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform will call two attorneys-general to explain the decision to withdraw all 47 charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.
This comes amid dissatisfaction and confusion among the public over the granting of a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) to Zahid in the case last Monday (Sept 4).
“I, as the PSSC chair, have issued a statement saying that this committee will have a proceeding. We will call both attornies-general to give an explanation (on Zahid’s case).
“We will table the report after the investigation is done,” said PSSC chairperson William Leong in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Leong did not specify which two attorneys-general will be summoned but the decision in Zahid’s case was delivered a day before former AG Idrus Harun officially retired. The current AG is Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, who took over the position on Sept 6.
Negative perception
In the statement Leong issued, he clarified that the proceeding will be on separating the powers of the attorney-general and the solicitor-general.
Among the cases that will be discussed in this investigation include the appeal dismissal against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy over alleged tampering with the 1MDB audit report, the acquittal of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin over four abuse of power charges linked to the Jana Wibawa programme and the DNAA granted to Zahid.
“Without denying the powers of the attorney-general under Article 145 of the Federal Constitution and the integrity of the attorney-general and the officers, the committee opines that such cases have given a negative perception that there is intervention in the Attorney-General’s Chambers by certain quarters and different considerations in these high-profile cases,” Leong said in the statement issued on behalf of the committee.
Among those who will be summoned include Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, Terrirudin as the attorney-general, Idrus as the former attorney-general and the team of lawyers representing Zahid in his case.
Earlier, Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) had urged the speaker to allow a debate in the Dewan Rakyat over Zahid’s case, citing Standing Order 18(1), after the motion submitted by him and Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) was rejected by speaker Johari Abdul yesterday.
Standing Order 18(1) allows any member aside from a minister to rise in their place and ask leave to discuss a “defined matter of urgent public importance” by reading the text of a motion approved by the speaker.
Khoo Poay Tiong (Harapan-Kota Melaka) responded to Shahidan, saying they are both members of the PSSC on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform, and as such, the Arau MP should be aware of the committee’s decision to summon the attorneys-general.
“He knows we will call the AG for the proceeding, but he still wants to bring up this issue in Parliament.
“Everyone in the group knows, now he is saying supposedly he didn’t know,” Khoo said.
Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) then said discussing the issue in the PSSC and debating it in the Dewan Rakyat under Standing Order 18(1) are separate matters.
He also urged Johari to explain why the speaker assured Shahidan and Wan Ahmad Fayhsal in a private meeting earlier that they would be allowed to present their rejected motion in the House but did not give them time to do so yesterday after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim finished tabling the mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
Johari explained that he meant the two parliamentarians would be allowed to talk about their motions in their speeches debating the mid-term review of the 12MP. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.