KUALA LUMPUR – The Attorney-General’s Chambers must explain its decision to take no further action on the 47 criminal charges previously faced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said DAP legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh.
Ramkarpal, a former deputy law minister, said the move to classify the case as no further action (NFA) does not inspire public confidence and raises serious questions about the transparency of the AGC’s investigations and decision-making.
He said that while the AGC cited a comprehensive review of available material, it did not clarify whether it had reassessed the prima facie findings made by the High Court in 2023.
“This is not a case where no findings were made,” Ramkarpal said in a statement, reported Free Malaysia Today (FMT), noting that the High Court found a prima facie case against the Umno president at the close of the prosecution’s case, requiring him to enter his defence.
The prosecution applied for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on all 47 charges on Sept 4, 2023. Trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah subsequently granted the DNAA to allow the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to conduct further investigations into the corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust charges.
Ramkarpal noted that the trial, which began in 2019, lasted nearly four years and involved testimony from numerous prosecution witnesses.
“Given the circumstances, the AGC must explain why it now considers the High Court’s prima facie findings to no longer carry weight, especially when those findings were based on its own evidence presented in court,” he said.
He warned that a failure to provide a clear and transparent explanation would further erode public confidence in the AGC.
Strikes public confidence
Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan also reportedly questioned the AGC’s claim that the evidence against Zahid was now insufficient to continue the prosecution after further investigations and additional material were reviewed.
He said the evidence had been strong enough for the court to find a case to answer and to justify years of public expenditure, yet the AGC was now saying the same case was no longer viable.
“This contradiction strikes at the heart of public confidence in the justice system,” Rajesh said, adding that the lack of explanation could create a perception of reluctance to complete the legal process when the accused is a powerful political figure.
Yesterday, the AGC announced that it had found insufficient evidence to proceed with the charges, effectively bringing the long-running case to an end. Zahid had been accused of embezzling millions of ringgit from Yayasan Akalbudi and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as home minister between 2013 and 2018.
The AGC has previously dismissed claims that its credibility was damaged by the DNAA, with then attorney-general Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh saying such decisions could be made even after a prima facie case had been established.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the decision to classify all 47 charges as NFA fell fully under the AGC’s authority, in line with Article 145 of the Federal Constitution, which empowers the Attorney-General to initiate, conduct or discontinue proceedings.
“Whatever decision is made by the Attorney-General, I believe it is made within the legal framework and the authority provided by the Federal Constitution,” he told reporters yesterday, according to Bernama. – January 9, 2026