December 11, 2010
Gani is said to be close to high-profile but shady corporate figures. — File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 — Social Care Foundation chairman Tan Sri Robert Phang today urged the Attorney-General to rebut the allegations linking him to high-profile but shady corporate figures and silence sceptics who have questioned Putrajaya’s commitment in the fight against graft.
Phang, who is also a panel adviser to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said the rumours about Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s close friendship with these figures had put a dent in his role as the federal government’s top lawyer and which in turn cemented the public’s view of selective prosecution.
The Justice of Peace cited several cases as examples, pitting the government court inaction against former Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli — suspected of corruption but never charged — in 2001 over the national carrier’s whopping RM8 billion loss against a decision to try Rosli Dahlan, the lawyer of former senior cop Datuk Ramli Yusuff for allegedly aiding in cooking the books.
Phang also questioned the recent decision to prosecute ex-Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo for land fraud under the Penal Code instead of corruption under the newer MACC Act which carries a stiffer penalty.
If found guilty, the former Selangor Umno chief faces up to two years in jail and a fine under the Penal Code, while under the MACC Act his assets could also be taken away from him.
“It will be unfortunate if the A-G himself becomes a stumbling block to the government’s and the MACC’s efforts to portray a Bersih, Cekap, Amanah [Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy] government,” Phang said in a statement today.
“The public needs to be satisfied in order for the government to regain the public trust that it is serious in the eradication of corruption and in achieving justice for all,” he stressed.
Holiday photos of Gani with Shahidan Shafie — said to be Tajudin’s proxy — have spread through the Internet and other channels, sparking calls for the authorities to reopen the case on national carrier Malaysia Airlines’ RM8 billion loss in 2001.
“For so long as there is suspicion about the personal conduct of A-G Gani Patail as described above and it is not addressed, all sincere efforts by the government and the MACC will be futile.
“It will be regarded as a mere public relations exercise or slogans,” said Phang, who described it idiomatically as a crab trying to teach its offspring to walk straight.
Allegations against Gani have cropped up in the Malaysia Today news portal, edited by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin who has faced several charges in court for sedition.
The blogger has defeated the charges after fleeing the country last year but he has continued to post articles and photographs questioning Gani’s personal life and his role in various cases including the second sodomy charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Retired senior policeman Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim too has written to the government seeking a revision of the Anwar’s “black-eye” assault and Gani’s role in the investigations. Putrajaya has given contradictory statements on that case.
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