KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney General's use of his powers under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution to withdraw 47 criminal charges against Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is immoral, said chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin stated that in this case, Ahmad Zahid had already been charged in court, and the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case with documentary evidence and 99 witnesses. This implies that the court was satisfied with the substantial evidence regarding the criminal acts and had directed Ahmad Zahid to defend himself.
"It is puzzling that the prosecution, having successfully established a prima facie case, is now seeking the court's permission to drop the charges. This is highly unreasonable. Does this mean that the prosecution acknowledges that the evidence presented in court by them is not admissible? Or is there an order from higher authorities that this case must be dropped at all costs?" he asked in a statement today.
Yesterday, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, was released without being acquitted by the High Court from 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering related to the Akalbudi Foundation funds he founded.
Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah released Ahmad Zahid, 70, after granting the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar's request to halt all proceedings against Ahmad Zahid at this stage. The Attorney General's Office had communicated its intention to do so.
Initially, Ahmad Zahid was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with ten charges of criminal breach of trust in 2018. The case was later transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2019, and in August 2020, he faced an additional 12 charges. In January 2021, he was ordered to enter a defense for 47 charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving the Akalbudi Foundation funds.
Muhyiddin, who is also a former Prime Minister, expressed that if there was indeed an order from higher authorities, then the dropping of charges against Ahmad Zahid after he was directed to defend himself in court is a dark stain on our country's justice system.
He said that such a situation has never occurred in Malaysia's independent history. "Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) must take full responsibility for the damage occurring within the justice system, which I believe stems from his own greed to retain power," he said.
Muhyiddin remarked that Anwar's actions clearly demonstrate hypocrisy, as he often advocates for institutional reform and good governance. "The slogans he frequently chants are nothing but deception and empty words. The decision to drop charges against the Deputy Prime Minister undoubtedly shakes investors' confidence in Malaysia's justice system. A country where an individual facing corruption charges is appointed to the second-highest position in the nation, and charges against him are dropped, has become a 'rogue state,'" he added.
Muhyiddin claimed that it is time for the people to reassess the legitimacy of the unity government, which should uphold the rule of law and constitutional integrity.