KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The Bar Council has proposed a motion at the Malaysian Bar’s coming extraordinary general meeting (EGM) seeking approval from members to enable it to take legal action against anyone who interferes with the investigations on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), as well as on the flow of RM42 million from SRC International and the transfer of RM2.6 billion into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bank accounts.

Bar Council chairman Steven Thiru noted the police investigations on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) officers who were suspected of leaking confidential information, as well as the shutdown of the Special Task Force that had been investigating the alleged flow of funds from SRC International, a former subsidiary of state investment firm 1MDB, and the transfer of RM2.6 billion to Najib’s personal accounts.  

“The Malaysian Bar condemns the interference with the investigation into the transfer of MYR2.6 billion and the flow of MYR42 million from SRC, both into the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts,” said Steven in the motion sighted by Malay Mail Online.

“The Malaysian Bar condemns the abrupt removal of Tan Sri Gani; the crippling of the PAC (Public Accounts Committee); and the harassment, intimidation and oppression of investigating officers or personnel of the AGC (Attorney-General’s Chambers), MACC, BNM, and the Special Branch of the PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police),” he added, referring to former Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail.

Besides calling for the mandate to take legal action against those who obstruct the investigations on 1MDB and the flow of funds to Najib’s accounts, the motion also called for the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on those matters.

Steven highlighted key actions that the Najib administration took on July 28, namely the removal of Gani as Attorney-General, the replacement of Datuk Seri Akhil Bulat as Special Branch director, the dismissal of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal from Cabinet, and the promotion of four members of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“The drastic, oppressive and chilling measures taken on 28 July 2015 have all been attributed to the Prime Minister, and which have not been denied by the Prime Minister,” Steven said.

“They have been perceived as an attempt by him to interfere and obstruct the investigation, as well as to silence his critics within Cabinet,” the head of the professional legal body based in peninsular Malaysia added.

Steven also said the actions taken on July 28 were an assault on the independence of the Special Task Force and had halted the PAC’s investigation on 1MDB, leading to questions on the ability of the legislature to check the executive.

“The action taken by PDRM against the MACC was intimidatory and oppressive, and has further been perceived as a direct and intentional interference with and obstruction of MACC’s investigation into the transfer of funds into the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts as well as an attack on the independence of the MACC and its emasculation as a corruption-combating agency,” the lawyer said.

“The disbanding of the Special Task Force and the transfer of its tasks to the newly-rebranded NRRET suggests that the focus of the investigation that was conducted by the Special Task  Force has now been so diluted and dispersed that it has been effectively brought to a grinding halt,” he added, referring to the new task force called the National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team set up by the new Attorney-General, Tan Sri Apandi Ali.

Steven also highlighted Umno minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan’s recent interview with local daily The Star, in which the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister appeared to refer to pre-emptive measures taken by the prime minister amid the investigation on the deposit of funds into Najib’s personal accounts.

“There appears to be a concerted effort to weaken and compromise various institutions involved in the investigation into the transfer of funds into the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts,” he said.

The EGM scheduled for this Saturday aims to discuss the purported interference with the investigation on the flow of funds from former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International, as well as the transfer of RM2.6 billion into the prime minister’s personal bank accounts.