KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) should not appeal Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli’s acquittal of leaking the banking data of a government-backed company, the National Patriot Association said today.
Its president Brig Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji added that prosecutors should allow justice to take its course and that genuine whistleblowers should be protected, especially after Rafizi was acquitted by the High Court for the charges under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia).
“Anybody of sound thinking should be able to see that the ‘Cowgate’ affair has brought shame to our country and corruption and abuse of power had occurred in high office,” he said in a statement today.
“Irrespective of how one prefers to look at the issue — from the perspective of the rule of law, or even if the reason to appeal is to obtain the grounds of judgment from the trial judge — the Shah Alam High Court has decided to acquit Rafizi and the decision should stay,” he said.
Mohamed Arshad said Rafizi had the courage to put his political career on the line at a time when senior civil servants and those who held high positions dared not speak up.
“Many were even accomplices in crime. Some only spoke up after the Barisan Nasional (BN) government was overthrown. Rafizi Ramli is a true patriot,” he said.
Just before last year’s general election, Rafizi and former Public Bank clerk Johari Mohamad were sentenced to 30 months’ jail by the Sessions Court for violating Bafia by revealing bank accounts related to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), its subsidiary companies and its chairman Datuk Seri Salleh Ismail.
However, the Act was repealed after the duo were charged in August 2012.
On November 15, the High Court overturned a lower court ruling, freeing the former PKR vice-president.
Three days ago, Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas said he was shocked by news reports that the AGC had filed an appeal against the acquittal.
He claimed to have no knowledge of the filing and vowed that the officers involved would be punished for going against his orders.
Mohamed Arshad said he agreed with Thomas on acting against the government officers who flouted his order not to appeal the case.
“This is clearly insubordination. Of late, there has been many complaints about the ‘deep state’ in which senior officials and departmental heads have disobeyed standing instructions and the policies of ministers seemingly to sabotage the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. This nonsense has to stop,” the retired serviceman said.
He said public servants should toe the line and abide by the PH government’s policies and help its ministers carry out reforms that benefit the public.
“Any senior public servants found sabotaging and going against the policies of the government must be dealt with seriously,” he said.
