KUALA LUMPUR – Electoral watchdog Bersih has renewed calls for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to outline a clear roadmap and timeline for the separation of the public prosecutor’s office from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
This came after the prosecution applied for the high court to grant Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) for all his 47 charges of corruption today.
Viewing the DNAA with grave concern, Bersih’s steering committee said the separation of the two offices would be the only way for the government to restore its credibility as an anti-graft and reformist administration.
“As it stands now, the attorney-general is a political appointee advising the government who plays the duo role of the public prosecutor that holds the power to initiate or drop criminal charges.
“This power can be abused or weaponised for political reasons,” it said in a statement.
Bersih also said the prosecution must explain to the public why a DNAA was requested when the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Zahid, while the AGC must reveal possible changes or directions in its investigations against the deputy prime minister.
The electoral watchdog also questioned whether Zahid’s DNAA was a prelude to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s charges being dropped as well – which it alleged would diminish public trust in the government’s reform agenda.
“Until the separation is done, the AGC must refrain from withdrawing charges in high-profile cases,” Bersih said.
“If the cases are defective, let judges rule on that, not prosecutors who are ultimately under the prime minister’s control.
“Malaysians are sick of seeing this correlation – those who stay in power forever stay innocent, while those who lose power also lose their innocence.”
Bersih also warned that any delay in reforming the AGC could jeopardise the government’s credibility, which it said is already associated with a “terrible precedence for politically connected trials”. – September 4, 2023