KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo has questioned the status of a 2022 investigation into former attorney-general Tan Sri Apandi Ali over his handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.
Sangeet said the public has a right to know the outcome of the probe, which was initiated after the High Court dismissed Apandi's defamation suit against DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
Apandi had sued Lim over an article questioning the former AG's role in the 1MDB scandal.
However, the High Court ruled that Lim had succeeded in justifying that he had qualified privilege in making the comments in his article, as Datuk Seri Najib Razak was found guilty in the RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd criminal trial.
The decision was later upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.
Sangeet said that the courts accepted that Lim was justified in calling for Apandi to be held accountable, ruling that such scrutiny did not amount to defamation.
She said the court's findings highlighted Apandi's decision to classify investigations as "No Further Action" (NFA) despite internal recommendations to proceed.
The court also took into account the acceptance of a "foreign donation" explanation without supporting evidence and a failure to pursue mutual legal assistance from foreign authorities, she said.
"More recently, the High Court, in convictions secured against Najib arising from the 1MDB affair, expressly rejected the 'foreign donation' explanation that had earlier been advanced.
"The 1MDB scandal was too large to have occurred without the knowledge, involvement, or serious failures of multiple individuals," Sangeet said in a statement, adding that anyone involved should be investigated.
"The public is entitled to know what became of the investigation announced in 2022 and whether it has been concluded."
SRC International was a subsidiary of 1MDB. Apandi was the AG who cleared Najib of wrongdoing in 2016.
The New Straits Times has reached out to Apandi and the police for comment. - NST
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