Urged to quit, besieged Apandi consults lawyers

Attorney-General Apandi Ali, under siege, says he needs time to consult his counsel.

(FMT) – The Attorney-General, Apandi Ali, facing mounting pressure to resign, is taking legal advice in the wake of the prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, expressing lack of confidence in him.

The latest to call for his resignation was DAP’s Gobind Singh Deo, who was re-elected as Puchong MP at last week’s general election.

He said in a Facebook posting today that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Apandi to remain as Attorney-General, as he is both the government’s chief legal adviser as well as Public Prosecutor.

“Apandi is in no position to advise the prime minister as the prime minister has expressed no confidence in him, and also said in no uncertain terms that there is a basis for investigating the manner in which the 1MDB case was dealt with,” Gobind said.

Apandi told FMT that he needed time to discuss with his team of lawyers. He would also consult with the Queen’s Counsel (eminent lawyers) from the United Kingdom about his situation.

Last week, Mahathir said that checks would be conducted of top government officers, Apandi among them, and action taken if there was evidence of wrongdoing.

He said the AG might have undermined his own credibility by hiding evidence of wrongdoings in the 1MDB case.

Apandi, 68, had cleared Najib Razak, then prime minister, of wrongdoing in the 1MDB affair two years ago. Earlier last month, his contract with the federal government was extended for three years.

He had also been under attack from pro-Najib blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who raised allegations of corruption and questioned his loyalty to the government.

Apandi has been mired in controversy since he replaced Abdul Gani Patail in July 2015 amid a public outcry as Gani was part of a team of “Four Tan Sris” who headed investigations into 1MDB.

Apandi has had a long career in the government’s legal service and has been a judge of the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.