Najib denies AG replacement linked to 1MDB probe, says Gani Patail was tapped for judgeship

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today refuted claims that he ordered the removal of Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as attorney general in 2015 to hinder investigations into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Testifying in his 1MDB trial, Najib said that, as the then prime minister, he had intended to recommend Abdul Gani for appointment as a Federal Court judge.

“In the case of Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, I had intended to recommend his appointment as a Federal Court judge. However, this plan did not materialise.

“The suggestion that his replacement as attorney general was motivated by a desire to stymie investigations into 1MDB is simply false,” he told the High Court.

Najib was responding to questions from his lawyer, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, regarding allegations that Abdul Gani’s successor, Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, had later closed the 1MDB case.

Denying any involvement in the case’s closure, Najib asserted that the changes in the Attorney General’s Chambers were part of an administrative reshuffle unrelated to directives or interference from him.

Najib dismissed claims that Apandi had ended the 1MDB investigations, noting that probes continued under multiple agencies, including Bank Negara Malaysia, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and law enforcement bodies.

Najib added that both Abdul Gani and the then Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed had not sued the government for wrongful dismissal.

Abdul Gani’s tenure as attorney general ended on July 27, 2015, while Abu Kassim left his role on August 1, 2016, before reaching retirement age.

On July 27, 2015, a special government task force on 1MDB — comprising Abdul Gani, Abu Kassim, then-inspector-general of police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, and then Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz — was disbanded.

Najib denied involvement in disbanding the task force, stating there was no evidence linking him to the decision. He cited testimony from Zeti, who had said that Apandi informed task force members that the group was no longer needed and that agencies should continue their investigations independently.

“The dissolution of the task force was not a directive from me but an administrative decision communicated at the appropriate institutional level,” Najib said.

He argued that disbanding the task force did not impede 1MDB investigations, highlighting actions by various agencies.

“Bank Negara Malaysia had already launched its independent probe, which led to a RM15 million fine imposed on 1MDB in 2016. Concurrently, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) continued its hearings, and other law enforcement agencies actively pursued their inquiries,” he said.

Najib served as prime minister from April 2009 to May 2018 and as finance minister from September 2008 to May 2018.

The 1MDB trial resumes this afternoon.

* A previous edition of the story contained errors which has since been corrected.