KUALA LUMPUR: A former top civil servant in the country today revealed how former Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail was handed his termination letter in the wake of the 1Malaysia Dvelopment Bhd (1MDB) scandal in 2015.
Tan Sri Ali Hamsa, who was the chief secretary to the government from 2012 to 2018, said he was the one who personally handed the letter to Gani while the latter was at a meeting.
Ali touched on the subject when he was questioned by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram in Datuk Seri Najib Razak's ongoing trial involving the tampering of the 1MDB audit report.
Najib and co-accused Arul Kanda Kandasamy - who is former 1MDB chief executive, listened closely from the dock as Sri Ram asked the 64-year old witness to explain how Gani was given his termination letter.
Sri Ram: Did you play any role in the removal of the former Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail?
Ali: I was asked to issue a cover letter and handed this personally to Gani Patail
Sri Ram: What did you tell him when you gave him the letter?
Ali: I just gave him the letter. He opened it in front of me and read it. After that I left.
Earlier, Ali, who is the fourth prosecution witness, said he had served under four prime ministers namely Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and again under Dr Mahathir during his stint in the government.
He was called to the stand again today to be cross-examined by Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah before he was re-examined by Sri Ram.
The cross-examination before High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan will continue tomorrow.
Ali had previously testified that Gani was forced to leave office after Najib lost trust in him.
He testified that this happened at a time when then deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had started kicking up a storm about 1MDB in Cabinet meetings and had also met Gani.
He also revealed that the letter of Gani's removal was drafted by his assistant in Najib's presence before the latter took it to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be signed.
It was reported that Gani was subsequently replaced as AG and the government had then cited the latter's ill health behind his removal.
His successor Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali later cleared Najib of any criminal wrongdoing involving 1MDB matters.
Najib, 67, is now accused of using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report that had already been finalised by the Auditor General before it was tweaked again and presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
He is accused of committing the offence between Feb 22 and 26, 2016, at the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya.
Arul Kanda, 44, is accused of abetting Najib in making amendments to the report, at the same place and time.
Both face up to 20 years jail and fine, if convicted.