YOURSAY | Something unsavoury in the Riza Aziz deal

YOURSAY | ‘Is this going to be the playbook for all the other 1MDB-related cases?’

Report: MACC stands by its statement on Riza’s plea bargain

Vijay47: We should appreciate MACC head Azam Baki sharing with us insights into the inner workings at management levels of his anti-corruption agency, at least since former MACC chief Latheefa Koya left the scene.

Thus, we have MACC being guided by information gleaned from lesser officials in other government bodies – I believe deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) are a dime a dozen at the Attorney General’s Chambers. This is understandable, especially if no other differing facts are available.

However, in the present situation, former attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas has, for the first time since he resigned as AG, come out with a statement setting out briefly the history of the case surrounding the alleged plea-bargaining with regard to the charges against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s stepson, Riza Abdul Aziz.

In particular, Thomas has strongly denied that he had come to any agreement to withdraw charges against Riza.

For his part, Azam insists that he will stand by what the DPP had told him. If you wish to accept the word of a junior officer against that from the chief, I would imagine you have such a right.

But in the face of Thomas’ denial, one would have expected you to have said something along the lines of your initial awareness of the matter being from a DPP, but now in view of the protest from Thomas, you would need to study the issue further.

You did not, Azam, you repeated that you stand by your statement.

To the man-in-the-street, there seems something unsavoury about the whole arrangement – steal a billion, make a deal, and laugh all the way to the bank with half the loot.

Worse, is this a harbinger of things to come? Are we soon going to have a spate of decisions where prosecution against crooked political leaders will be discontinued as the original charges against them were “politically motivated”?

I wonder what that DPP has to say about this.

Ata: Who is the DPP (who was involved in the case and had told Azam that Thomas agreed to the plea bargain)? Can we get his side of the story?

And what about ad hoc prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram? Did he not verify the truth about the agreement? I cannot believe that he would have proceeded without a rational explanation/reason.

Is this going to be the playbook for all the other 1MDB-related cases? Return some of the money and it's all ‘kau tim’ (settled), followed by handshakes all round?

Coward: Azam, is it really that difficult to pick up the phone and ask Thomas personally about it and not rely on the word of an unnamed DPP?

Even if Thomas agreed, as head of MACC, you have a say and at least can reverse his decision.

You are not expected to do what the former AG asked you to. So stop hiding behind an ex-AG and state clearly why your agency had agreed to the plea bargain.

If it was agreed by your predecessor whose decision, unlike Thomas', you are expected to carry through the agreement, say so.

If it is indeed Thomas' decision, pass the hot potato to his successor to handle. Don't take the blame for things you cannot be held responsible for, and don't hide behind someone if you are.

CH Y: What utter nonsense. Once the new AG has assumed his duties 2.5 months ago, all high profile and big cases involving substantial sums should have obtained the current AG’s approval. What has this to do with the previous AG?

Do you mean Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is still carrying out what was decided by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the new finance minister is carrying out what was decided by former finance minister Lim Guan Eng?

Just Wondering: Neither MACC nor Thomas should be embroiled in it, especially MACC since their statements are based on hearsay and their comments about hundreds of million being recovered contradict the several million stated by Gopal Sri Ram.

I am really perplexed by MACC wading into this issue which is purely the AGC's domain. Even if Thomas agreed to it, which I doubt, the ball would always be in the new AG's court.

Gerard Lourdesamy: So the MACC acts on the hearsay of a DPP and does not get written confirmation from the AG himself? God help us.

Can Azam explain to the public why a 50 percent haircut was given to Riza as part of the deal? We are dealing with the proceeds of an alleged crime here and not a civil debt.

Sick of Politics: @Gerard Lourdesamy, it’s a big sum of money which the country needs. What do you get from putting this bit player in jail?

And maybe the case against him wasn’t very good. We don’t know what led to them accepting the settlement.

Anyway, Gopal Sri Ram is no crook, he’s been hard on Najib and Rosmah Mansor. Stop wildly speculating in the worst way about what happened here.

Ali: What happened with Riza was a plea bargain. It happens all the time in the US, UK and other established countries.

Rather than wasting taxpayers’ money with a lengthy trial, if the government can recover some funds, it would be sensible to convert the prison charge to a compound or negotiated settlement.

In this case, the government is slated to recover RM400 million, something much needed if we are to survive the coronavirus-induced economic downturn.

The chances of success in winning the actual case by the prosecution might also be a factor. They may not have the necessary evidence considering most of the allegations took place in the US so there is also a jurisdiction issue.

Let’s not jump to conclusions that something sinister had happened behind the scenes. There are plenty of other factors which must also be taken into account.

Milshah: This is a high-profile case involving the biggest kleptomaniac scandal in the history of the country and the world - the 1MDB scandal. There should not be any plea bargain.

If Aziz is innocent, he will be freed; if he is guilty, he should be punished. Simple. That is what the rakyat want.

Instead, we get a “dismissal not amounting to acquittal” provided some of the allegedly stolen money, not all, is returned. Is that justice?

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