A-G’s Actions ‘Based On Law’

Gani said an in-depth examination of the statements made by Ibrahim found that “he had carefully laid out his statement”.

(NST) – THE Attorney-General’s Chambers has challenged cynics and its critics to prove that the integrity of the office had been compromised.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who has been the subject of some serious criticism, is confident that try as they might, the integrity of the chambers will remain intact.

Gani welcomed those who questioned his integrity and the way the chambers was being run to prove that he had abused his power in prosecuting and report him to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

He told the New Straits Times that his office was bound by laws and that there were strict procedures which the chambers followed to a tee.

Never, he said, had there been a time when he made decisions unilaterally.

“It (prosecution) is an exhaustive process, never unilateral. I do not sit by myself to decide if a case is a go or no go.

“I sit with the enforcement agency handling the case and they will have to convince the chambers as to why it should go to court.

“At the end of the day, I should not be able to punch any holes into investigation papers of cases recommended for prosecution.”

He said the chambers would have to convince enforcement agencies with solid grounds and legal arguments if it disagreed with their recommendation against prosecution.

Gani is aware that investigating officers see him as a man hard to convince as many had experienced going back and forth to his office with their investigation papers.

“The check and balance process is a sound one. Every decision is made together and I cannot prosecute or choose not to prosecute anyone as I please. Everything is based on the law,” he said.

The chambers had, in several occasions, been put under the spotlight, including being accused of selective persecution, losing cases and recently with charges being levelled under the Sedition Act 1948.

The debate on the chambers’ integrity was further fuelled by its decision not to charge Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali for sedition.

A police report was lodged against Ibrahim on Jan 21, last year, for calling on Muslims to seize and burn copies of the Bible which contained the word “Allah” or other Arabic and Jawi religious words at a media conference after a Perkasa convention in Penang.

Gani said an in-depth examination of the statements made by Ibrahim found that “he had carefully laid out his statement”.

He said Ibrahim had clearly stated that he meant the group that distributed the special Bahasa Melayu-version Bible, which mentioned “Allah” to Malay students.

Gani said each person was entitled to defend his own religion, so long as it was not against the law.

Ibrahim had been reported saying that he did not intend to create a religious commotion, but to protect the sanctity of Islam under the law.

Gani also said he told his staff at the chambers’ monthly assembly in Putrajaya yesterday that they had been fairly warned.

He said if the chambers found out that they had breached any law and brought disrepute to their workplace, they would face the music.

“I told them that as they know laws well, they must observe them.”

Gani pointed out a 2009 case of a deputy public prosecutor who was charged for altering a minuted prosecution directive of an investigation paper involving three suspects in a drugs case.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Gani as saying at the assembly that the multi-agency Special Task Force (STF) spearheaded by chambers had made tremendous inroads in curbing financial losses by the government from uncollected taxes and other sources of revenue.

Gani said the STF was established to address the money laundering and as part of the two main thrust of the government’s National Key Result Area (NKRA), to reduce crime and combat corruption.

“The main objectives of the STF are identifying and collecting revenue arising from undeclared duties and taxes due to the government, investigating crimes such as illegal remittances, smuggling of illicit funds, corrupt activities and address the abuse of subsidies for diesel, petrol and gas,” he said.

Collaboration between STF and the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry in March led to the seizure of vessels, tankers, modified vehicles and skid tanks used to smuggle diesel valued at RM100 million.

“The collaboration is aimed at achieving a projected savings of RM395 million for the government in subsidies for diesel, petrol and gas this year,” he said.

Gani added that in combating money laundering and related predicate crimes, the STF coordinated joint operations had significantly increased the Inland Revenue Board’s (IRB) and Royal Malaysian Customs’ annual collection.

The IRB’s projected collection for 2014 is RM140.15 billion, a 100 percent increase in four years while Customs’ is RM36 billion, a RM10 billion increase from the RM25.9 billion collected in 2009.

Gani added the STF was not a new or a stand-alone law enforcement agency as it also comprised Bank Negara, the police, MACC, IRB, Customs, Immigration and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

“There are also other agencies at the working level such as the Audit Department, Companies Commission of Malaysia, Cyber Security Malaysia and the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs,” he said adding the STF had also proposed for improvements to systems and procedures.