AGC: New probe confirms Najib paid lawyer Shafee RM9.5 million

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — An affidavit by an officer from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has been presented as evidence of an allegation that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had personally paid lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah RM9.5 million between September 2013 and February 2014.

The two payments were previously alleged to have been made around the same time that Shafee had been appointed by then AG Gani Patail to lead the prosecution in PKR President Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial before the Court of Appeal.

The affidavit from Siti Rahayu Mohd Mumazaini, which was released by Anwar’s office yesterday, claimed that new information was made known to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government on June 26.

“The information establishes that the appellant’s (Anwar) allegation that Shafee received a payment of RM9.5 million from Najib was true and that Shafee’s denial of this allegation in paragraph 28 of Shafee’s affidavit was untruthful,” the special task officer had stated in her affidavit to the AG, Malay Mail reported.

She claimed that Najib had issued two cheques on September 11, 2013 and February 14, 2014 for RM4.3 million and RM5.2 million respectively from his personal bank account.

Siti Rahayu’s affidavit also stated that the information was obtained pursuant to investigations into Shafee under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

High Court struck out Anwar’s suit last November

Anwar had last year filed a suit to quash his sodomy conviction, saying he had not received a fair trial, and citing a payment amounting to RM9.5 million allegedly from Najib.

However, the High Court struck out the suit in November last year, on the basis that Anwar had not given any evidence to support his allegations.

It was previously reported that Shafee had dismissed the allegations about him receiving RM9.5 million from Najib as “nonsense”.

“I was never paid RM9.5 million to prosecute Anwar’s case,” he had said.

Anwar: Affidavit proves huge payment to Shafee

In the statement released last night, Anwar said the affidavit by Siti Rahayu proved his claim of the huge payment to Shafee.

In making his allegation last year, while he was still serving his 5-year sentence, Anwar said the verdict by the Court of Appeal in 2014, which found him guilty of sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, was done in an unconstitutional manner.

The ruling was upheld by the Federal Court on February 10, 2015, and resulted in Anwar being sent to the Sungei Buloh Prison to serve his sentence.

“Shafee should never have been allowed to lead the prosecution team against him.

“Appointing an outside prosecutor is not an ordinary practice by the Attorney-General, and is even more irregular in this case when the individual appointed is a known close confidante of Najib, who is himself materially involved in the case,” Anwar said in his statement today.

Shafee served as the Special Prosecutor in the appeal of Anwar’s acquittal beginning in July 2013 until the case concluded at the Federal Court in February 2015.

“The fact that Shafee also received RM9.5 million from Najib’s personal bank account during the time frame of his role as prosecutor in my appeal destroys his credibility as an unbiased agent of the Attorney General’s Chambers,” Anwar said in his statement.

Anwar was granted a full pardon by the Agong shortly after PH took over federal power in May.

-NMT