KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Following the government’s shock announcement to replace Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail with a 65-year-old former judge, Datuk Kadir Jasin said today he hoped the new Attorney-General (AG) is much “healthier” so as not to jeopardise the current investigation on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The former group editor-in-chief of the pro-establishment news group New Straits Times (NST) made the assertion after the government announced that Abdul Gani’s contract will not be renewed due to “health reasons”, and that he would be replaced by former Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.

“Don’t despair. Just take good care of yourself because, from now on, if your majikan knows you are not well he can sack you,” Kadir wrote, using the Malay word for employer.

“In any case we need a healthier Attorney-General to pursue the 1MDB case,” he added in an update on his blog post.

Continuing in a similar mocking vein, the veteran newsman said that it would be hard now for anyone to sabotage the task force investigating 1MDB for alleged financial misappropriation since the new AG was a former apex court judge.

“Surely as a former Federal Court judge, he knows as much, if not more, about the law, than his predecessor. InsyaAllah,” he wrote, referring to Apandi.

Kadir had recently expressed scepticism that the task force comprising the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara, the AG and the police, would convict anyone in its investigation into 1MDB as the troubled fund was linked to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Rights groups and opposition leaders have also cried foul play in Abdul Gani’s sudden replacement amid the ongoing probe, saying that the move could foster perception that Najib is attempting a cover up of the scandal.

Several lawyers have also suggested that the termination of Abdul Gani’s dismissal may be “unconstitutional” as a tribunal should first decide before he can be removed from the position. 

An excerpt from Datuk Kadir Jasin blog post on the Cabinet reshuffle and the replacement of Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as Attorney-General, in this screenshot taken from his blog.