KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — DAP national legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh yesterday condemned Solicitor General III Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria’s remarks that the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) receives direction and instruction from the government.
Ramkarpal pointed out that Hanafiah is wrong and stressed that the AGC is independent.
“Hanafiah has forgotten that the AG is independent and prosecutes according to evidence and never is directed, whether by the government or otherwise.
“It is elementary that the AGC advises the government and not the other way around.
“Hanafiah’s stand in this matter is serious,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Hanafiah while defending his letter conveying the government’s directive that there should be no delays in the prosecution of corruption cases linked to the previous government, had said that the AGC is part of the machinery of the Federal Government and being part of it, they receive direction and instruction from the government.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said Hanafiah’s statement reflects his ignorance of the fact that the AGC is meant to be free from government instructions.
“This is a disgraceful error on Hanafiah’s part. He should resign if he doesn’t understand this, if not removed.
“We need independent people on the job. Not those who receive instructions from the government,” he added.
Earlier yesterday Hanafiah issued the statement after several parties accused the AGC of being unfair towards the previous Barisan Nasional administration after his email addressing Deputy Public Prosecutors (DPP) handling cases related to SRC International Sdn Bhd, 1Malaysia Development Berhad and other graft cases was leaked to the public.
