UMNO lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today denied receiving a single sen from the government for prosecuting the case against Anwar Ibrahim in his appeal against his conviction in Sodomy II in 2013 and 2014.

Shafee said former attorney-general Gani Patail, former prime minister Najib Razak and Hanafiah Zakaria from the Attorney-General’s Chambers were aware of this.

“I undertook the assignment (as prosecutor) virtually pro bono,” Shafee said, adding he had already made the denial in an affidavit in August 2017.

In a statement today, Shafee denied allegations that he received RM9.5 million as reward for prosecuting the case against Anwar in his appeal to overturn the guilty verdict for his second sodomy trial.

The Umno lawyer said he was paid RM9.5 million but the money was for payment of legal fees for other work he had previously done for Umno and Barisan Nasional.

Shafee said he had been the party and ruling coalition’s solicitor and counsel since the 1990s, and had undertaken numerous tasks for which he had not been paid until then prime minister Najib Razak offered to do so during a meeting in 2013.

“Najib learnt for the first time that I had not been paid by Umno all these years, since the time of Dr Mahathir (Mohamad), and he enquired of me how much were the fees that had accumulated over the years, since early 1990s.

“I told him the total fees would be in the region of not less than RM20 million but I was not asking for that. 

“I told him that I would be happy if he could settle the payment for about RM11 million worth of legal work in 46 election petition files, the subject matter of the years in 2004 and 2006.

“Najib, however, agreed to pay RM9.5 million as complete settlement of the legal fees for the 46 election petition matters but he asked me to rationalise the paperwork later. I agreed to this arrangement.

He said he had explained what the payment was for a year ago to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating allegations that money was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

“Najib would be able to confirm the reason RM9.5 million was paid to me.”

Shafee said his bank account where the payment was deposited was frozen as a result of the  1MDB probe and denied knowledge of the source of the Najib’s funds used to pay him.

Shafee said he had to disclose the reason for the payment now even though the MACC investigation was ongoing because deputy public prosecutor Siti Rahayu Mohd Mumazaini had affirmed in an affidavit that he was lying in his denial.

It was also wrong of Anwar to have made the affidavit public domain before it had been read out in court, he said.

“It is so discouraging that a special officer to the august office of the attorney-general could lend herself to making conscious, deliberate and dishonest averments in her affidavit. 

“I am reserving my rights to take the necessary steps against this unprecedented breach of confidentiality by a serving DPP.”

Shafee said he believed the attorney-general’s office was doing that to “victimise” and hamper him in his work to defend Najib, who has been charged with money laundering and power abuse, among others, in relation to funds misappropriated from 1MDB. –  September 8, 2018.