The spotlight on the 1MDB scandal is now shifting back to former attorney-general Apandi Ali, and his alleged role in covering up the crimes of which his ex-boss, Najib Abdul Razak, has been convicted of.
Of particular interest to former Klang MP Charles Santiago and DAP Women's legal bureau chief Sangeet Kaur Deo is a police probe launched against Apandi in 2022 - pursuant to a police report lodged by Charles.
In separate statements, both argued that the 1MDB scandal was not Najib's fault alone.
Hence, Sangeet said, the public needs to know what happened with the police probe on Apandi (above, centre).
"The 1MDB scandal was too large to have occurred without knowledge, involvement, or serious failures by more than a few individuals. Anyone who played any role in enabling, justifying, or allowing the 1MDB wrongdoing to continue should be investigated.
“The public is entitled to know what became of the investigation (against Apandi) announced in 2022, and whether it has been concluded," she said.
Apandi, a former Federal Court judge, was appointed as attorney-general by Najib in 2015 after Abdul Gani Patail was suddenly removed from office.
Just over a week after his appointment, Apandi moved to disband a special task force investigating 1MDB, saying it was not needed.
This was the start of a series of moves by the then-attorney general over the next three years, from 2015 to 2018, which hindered investigations into 1MDB and shielded Najib.
Faced with criticism, Apandi in November 2015 also lodged a MCMC complaint against KiniTV for coverage of a press conference by political activist Khairuddin Abu Hassan demanding that the former resign for refusing to prosecute Najib.
The complaint led to two police and MCMC raids on Malaysiakini's office. A laptop seized during one of the raids was only returned to Malaysiakini nine years later, in October last year.
‘No knowledge’
On Jan 26, 2016, Apandi declared that Najib had "no knowledge" that RM42 million of SRC International funds were from an Arab "donation", while infamously holding up charts showing that the funds indeed came from SRC International.
He also said that Najib did not abuse his power in approving a government guarantee on the RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Incorporated to SRC International.
Thus, he had said then, there would be no charges against Najib on both the SRC International and RM2.6 billion "donation" scandals.
This is despite the MACC reportedly advising Apandi to charge Najib.
The RM2.6 billion refers to US$621 million in 1MDB funds, which were misappropriated into Najib's accounts.
Apandi would later support the Arab donor narrative, saying the money was from the son of a former Saudi king.
Apandi also reportedly did not cooperate with attempts by the MACC to get mutual legal assistance (MLA) in securing overseas bank statements regarding the 1MDB transfers.
Likewise, he is also reported to have frustrated attempts by Swiss authorities looking into the 1MDB scandal.
Repeated denials
When the US Justice Department released damning evidence that Najib - codenamed Malaysia Official 1 (MO1) - did receive 1MDB funds, Apandi sprang to the then-prime minister's defence, repeatedly denying any wrongdoing by the former.
He even claimed that there was no evidence that 1MDB funds were misappropriated
Later, when Indonesian authorities seized the Equanimity - a luxury yacht Najib associate Low Taek Jho bought using stolen 1MDB funds - Apandi said there was no reason for the government to lay claim to the vessel.
After Najib was deposed in 2018, Malaysia would get the Equanimity and then sell it off to recoup losses from the 1MDB scandal.
Najib has been convicted for both the SRC International and 1MDB corruption scandals.
He is already in prison for the SRC International case, and was handed down an additional 15-year jail sentence over the 1MDB case by the High Court last Friday.
Najib, 72, was also handed down a RM11.38 billion fine for the 1MDB case. If he fails to pay, he will have to serve another 10 years in jail.
Raising issue justified
In May 2022, Apandi lost a defamation suit against DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, over an opinion piece which the former said insinuated he was involved in the 1MDB financial scandal, was a person with no morals and integrity, was unethical, and had abused his power when he was attorney-general.
The High Court ruled that Lim was justified in raising the issue after Najib's conviction in the SRC International case.
A three-member Court of Appeal bench, in rejecting Apandi's appeal, said the former attorney-general's action or inaction in handling the 1MDB scandal gave the impression to the public that he covered up the 1MDB scandal.
The Federal Court later rejected leave for Apandi to initiate a final appeal.
On Saturday, after Najib was convicted, the former attorney-general issued a cryptic statement saying: “Sometimes one has to pay for a lapse of intelligence.”
Others involved, too
Charles, in his statement today, cautioned, however, that Apandi did not operate in a vacuum.
"Others amplified and legitimised the fiction. The current MACC chief, who was then director of investigations, Azam Baki, confirmed that investigators had met the so-called donor.
"The public was told repeatedly and authoritatively that the money was a donation, that it was clean, that the matter was closed," he said.
"Najib’s conviction closes one chapter. The harder chapter, restoring credibility by holding enablers to account, must now begin," he added. - Mkini
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