KUALA LUMPUR: No dates have been set to call in the former and current attorneys general in relation to the outcome of Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s graft cases, says Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Human Rights, Election and Institutional Reform chairman William Leong.
The Selayang MP also said it was not necessary for the attorneys general to be the first ones to be called in to give their statements before the committee.
“NGOs have been asking for this proceeding. I would have to give them (NGO) the first say and let them lay down the groundwork.
“In these proceedings, we need the preliminary foundations laid down before calling in those on the list,” he said in an interview when met at Parliament yesterday.
Leong said it was also important to respect the honour and dignity of those being called in.
“We have to deal with their offices as well. We can’t just order them to come in,” he added.
On when the proceedings are expected to begin, Leong said the PSSC has to study the issue and to select who should be called up.
“We also need to give them time to respond and to work out what it is we want to deal with,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Dewan Rakyat was told that former attorney general Tan Sri Idrus Harun will be called in by the PSSC to explain the outcome of Ahmad Zahid’s graft cases.
This was revealed by Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who is a member of the PSSC.
Leong then told the House that both Idrus and current AG Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh would be called in.
In a separate statement, Leong said the select committee was also planning whether to discuss the separation of powers between the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor.
The proceedings would also involve several high-profile cases, Leong said.
This includes the acquittal of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy for the alleged tampering of the Auditor-General’s audit report on 1MDB; former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin being acquitted of four charges involving abuse of power; and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid being granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for his graft cases.
The PSSC, Leong said, would also be calling up several individuals apart from Idrus and Ahmad Terrirudin.
Also being called are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Legal Affairs Division director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud and the lawyers who represented Ahmad Zahid.
On Sept 4, the Deputy Prime Minister was granted a DNAA for 47 graft charges relating to Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
