THE attorney-general must explain his decision to acquit and reach settlement with Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan midway into his corruption trial, Pakatan Harapan (PH) said today.

The PH presidential council also asked if this would set the precedent for other high-profile trials, where the accused would be released upon paying back the “case items”.

“We urge the AG to provide an explanation as the decision to prosecute or withdraw prosecution against a person rests in the hands of the AG,” PH said in a statement.

“The AG also needs to clarify whether this will be a new standard operating procedure (SOP) especially for other high-profile court cases. Does the SOP now allow someone to be charged with stealing money to be released by repaying part of the “case items”?” it said in a statement today.

The statement was signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah chairman Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Upko chief Madius Tangau.

On Wednesday, Ahmad, the Pontian MP, was freed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after paying a RM1.1 million compound to settle charges of laundering RM2 million and making a false statement

PH said it was concerned about the trend the high-profile court cases had lately taken, in which the accused, who were linked to the ruling coalition, had been freed of prosecution after either returning a sum of money or by making compound payments.

The opposition also took a swipe at the Malaysian Anti -Corruption Commission (MACC), which had acknowledged the pattern.

“The council regrets the indifference of the MACC in acknowledging this new trend.

“Can the MACC provide a similar solution to all corruption cases with the refund of confiscated bribes as those involving pro -government politicians?” it asked.

The council said that to uphold the rule of law and its concept, the new trend set by the AG and MACC clearly violates the principle that “justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done”.

Without transparency and fair law enforcement, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s wish for the agency to meet international standards is difficult will remain unfulfilled, it said.