Ex-CJ detached from reality, says Ramkarpal after MACC remarks

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PETALING JAYA: DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh has criticised former chief justice Mohamed Raus Sharif over his remarks on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), describing the former judge as “a man detached from reality”.

This comes after Raus said a politician’s appointment as the MACC chief commissioner had cast doubt on its credibility. He was believed to be referring to Latheefa Koya, who led the anti-graft agency from June 2019 to March 2020.

In a statement, Ramkarpal said Raus’ remarks suggested that MACC had the public’s confidence before Latheefa’s appointment, adding that this “cannot be further from the truth”.

The Bukit Gelugor MP pointed out how Latheefa had unveiled leaked audio recordings between former prime minister Najib Razak and former MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad in 2016, which he said gave the commission’s image a beating.

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Why retired judges should speak up

On May 24, former chief justice Mohamed Raus Sharif was reported to have said the independence and impartiality of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) began to be questioned with the appointment of a politician as its chief commissioner in 2018.

Without naming Latheefa Koya, Raus said the appointment had led to widespread perception that actions taken by the MACC were politically motivated.

“Not surprisingly, there were allegations of selective investigations, selective prosecutions. There were also allegations of improper withdrawal of charges. To top it all, issues on the integrity of a few MACC officers started to surface,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.

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