6-9-2023 (JAKARTA) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has emphasized that he had no involvement in the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s recent decision to grant Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for all 47 graft charges related to Yayasan Akalbudi funds. Anwar stated that the attorney general possessed full authority to handle the case.
“The attorney general has the powers, and the decision was made for a reason. I have given the AG full power to handle the case. I did not interfere,” Anwar clarified during a meet-and-greet session held here yesterday.
Yesterday, Zahid was granted a DNAA for all 47 charges, which included corruption, criminal breach of trust (CBT), and money laundering offenses associated with his foundation, Yayasan Akalbudi. He was also accused of accepting bribes during his tenure as the home minister from 2013 to 2018.
Responding to concerns about the decision’s potential negative impact on his unity government, Anwar dismissed the notion that it would undermine the government’s credibility. He reiterated his unwavering commitment to combatting corruption.
The decision to grant the DNAA was made by Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah after considering 11 reasons presented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to halt the ongoing proceedings. Prior to this, Ahmad Zahid had submitted a 200-page representation to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in January, followed by a more recent submission in February containing additional data and new evidence.
