KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Former Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said today that he is doing well despite having to undergo dialysis treatment.
Gani confirmed that he is “alright” at his first public appearance after his abrupt July removal as Attorney-General ahead of his compulsory retirement on his 60th birthday on October 6.
“On the issue of how I am doing, I am ok, I am on dialysis three times a week. I still read, I still do work.
“I am not in the office, I do work like looking after my grandchildren,” a healthy-looking Gani said during a question and answer session in a public forum on the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA).
“I am functioning very well, I have no issue. But bear this in mind, when I was sitting in office, I was already on dialysis,” he added.
He also said he was already on dialysis during the current and past Malaysian Bar presidents’ terms, although he did not offer further detail.
Gani was speaking at the Bar Council’s forum ”SOSMA: Wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
The other speakers are Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru and criminal lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, while lawyer Farida Mohd was also on the panel during the question and answer session.
During the forum and when stopped later by reporters, Gani declined to comment on issues not related to SOSMA, saying he will address those matters at another time.
On July 28, the Chief Secretary to the Government announced that Gani’s services as AG was discontinued effective July 27 due to health reasons, but said that he will continue to serve as a judicial and legal services officer until his compulsory retirement on October 6.
Apart from telling Malay Mail Online on July 28 “I don’t know, OK? I don’t want to say a word right now”, Gani has not spoken publicly on his removal from the post he had held for 13 years.
News of the removal of Gani, who had been leading a multi-agency investigation on corruption allegations involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), happened on the same day as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet reshuffle that saw 1MDB critics - then deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal - dropped from government.
Former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, aged 65 and with over 42 years of legal experience, was appointed to replace Gani as AG.
