THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has defended its statement that a deal with Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz had been agreed to by Tommy Thomas, Free Malaysia Today reported.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, in a reply to a denial by the former attorney-general, said it was based on the decision by the case’s prosecution team.

This follows developments earlier today, with the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court allowing an application by the prosecution for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Riza from several money-laundering charges made on July 5, 2019.

Azam, standing by his statement, said a deputy public prosecutor in the case had said that Thomas agreed with the decision.

“Without their statement and permission, we wouldn’t have made any kind of confirmation to the public. This is what we were informed.

“Never mind if the former A-G wants to deny, that’s up to him. We stand by our statement,” he was reported as saying by the portal.

Thomas tonight denied agreeing with the government’s decision to drop money-laundering charges against Riza.

His remarks were in response to an MACC statement explaining the events that led to the sessions court giving Najib’s stepson a discharge not amounting to an acquittal. 

Thomas said his special officer at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Rahayu Mamuzaini, drew his attention to the written representations made by Riza’s lawyers.

After going through the contents, Thomas said he had handed the documents over to special prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, who is prosecuting Riza in the case.

The brief was simple: Sri Ram was to examine the representations made by Riza’s lawyer, but as far as the prosecution was concerned, nothing happened after this.

Thomas said: “I resigned two and a half months ago and up to that point, there was no agreement to drop charges against Riza. So, it is wholly untrue and a fabrication to say that I had agreed to the decision.

“I am terribly disappointed that the MACC had to make this false statement.” – May 14, 2020.