Dr Mahathir wanted me to prosecute Anwar, says Shafee

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 8 Sep 2018 5:43PM · 7 Comments

Lawyer Shafee Abdullah says it was Dr Mahathir Mohamad who wanted him to be appointed as special prosecutor to prosecute PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim in his second sodomy case. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, September 8, 2018.

PROMINENT lawyer Shafee Abdullah has claimed that he was recommended by Dr Mahathir Mohamad as an ad hoc prosecutor to prosecute Anwar Ibrahim during his second sodomy trial in 2014.

Shafee, who currently represents former prime minister Najib Razak as he faces graft charges relating to SRC International, said he was initially reluctant to do so but was persuaded otherwise.

“As a background to this ad hoc appointment of mine, Najib was not keen with the idea of appointing me as the prosecutor by way of FIAT for these appeals because he did not want to offend the then attorney-general, Gani Patail. In fact, he was most reluctant.

“However, it was Dr Mahathir who insisted that I be appointed as the special prosecutor in Anwar’s appeals as Dr Mahathir did not have the confidence that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) would be able to competently manage the appeals.”

Lawyer Shafee Abdullah says former prime minister Najib Razak was reluctant to appoint him as special prosecutor in Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy case but was pressured to do so by Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, September 8, 2018.

He said it was probably due to the AGC losing the case at the high court, and Anwar’s first sodomy case at the Federal Court.

“I remember being summoned in about June or July 2013 (or thereabout) by Dr Mahathir through Matthias Chang to attend a meeting with Dr Mahathir at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.

“Soon, I learned that Najib, the prime minister was also invited to meet Dr Mahathir slightly earlier than the meeting between me and Dr Mahathir. I learned subsequently that Dr Mahathir had managed to persuade Najib to convince the attorney-general to appoint me by way of FIAT as a special prosecutor in these appeals.”

Chang is Dr Mahathir’s former political secretary and had served as his lawyer.

Shafee said he was informed of the meeting by Dr Mahathir himself after Najib had left the Perdana Leadership Foundation building.

“I learnt from Matthias Chang that my appointment as the special prosecutor was the first of the six demands Dr Mahathir made to Najib at that meeting, for otherwise he would go against Najib.”

Within days, Shafee said she he was told by officers from Dr Mahathir’s office and the Prime Minister’s Department that he should meet Gani “for the purposes of the appointment as everything has been agreed to for my appointment”.

Shafee Abdullah says Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also met with then prime minister Najib Razak, in which he demanded that Shafee be appointed special prosecutor in Anwar's case or he would go against Najib. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, September 8, 2018.

Shafee said he then met Gani in the presence of former Chief Justice Hanafiah Zakaria.

He added that a written agreement was drafted reflecting the terms of my appointment.

Shafee also denied being paid RM9.5 million as alleged by Anwar last year but said he accepted RM1,000 in payments on the Gani’s suggestion, which resulted in a written agreement dated July 19, 2013.

“For purposes of record, I have never taken a single sen from the government of Malaysia or anybody else in relation to my undertaking of the prosecution of the appeals. I must stress that even the RM1,000 was never claimed by me to date. This can be confirmed from Hanafiah himself.”

He added that the written agreement is “within the knowledge of every concerned individual who participated in this decision-making process” and therefore there could not have been any misunderstanding that I should be paid any fee over and above the RM1,000.

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has claimed that Shafee Abdullah was paid RM9.5 million by former prime minister Najib Razak to prosecute his case. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, September 8, 2018.

Anwar, who was convicted in 2014 and jailed a year later, yesterday said his lawyers had received an affidavit signed by an Attorney-General’s Chambers officer backing his claim that the Umno lawyer was paid the amount after prosecuting him.

The officer said that Najib had issued two cheques on September 11, 2013 and February 14, 2014, for RM4.3 million and RM5.2 million, respectively, and that Shafee received the money in his account on September 13, 2013 and February 17, 2014.

Anwar had based his application on a Sarawak Report article published in June last year, alleging that the funds transferred came from a bank account that was funded by money stolen by Najib from former 1Malaysia Development Bhd subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd, which had borrowed RM4 billion from Retirement Fund Inc, or KWAP.

The PKR president-elect will likely press ahead with an appeal against a high court decision in February, which struck out a previous application to overturn his conviction due to a lack of evidence, lawyers said. – September 8, 2018.

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Comments

  • I remember when the charges of sodomy were first raised that Mahathir was reported to have said sodomy again? I would have thought they could have come up with something else or words to that effect. But no doubt TDM will respond to Shafee himself very soon.

    Posted 7 years ago by Malaysia New hope · Reply

  • Dumno will not rest until they drive a wedge between Dr M and Anwar. That's their strategy to topple the PH government before GE15. I just hope PH bigwigs see through this.

    Posted 7 years ago by Thiruchelvam Thirunavukarasu · Reply

  • Dumno is using Shafee as their moth piece.. they will try all ways and means including lying to the people at all costs.. this is their only opportunity to influence the people..
    Dumno knows if they can drive a wedge between Dr M and Anwar, it will be easier to create hatred within the ruling parties and cause a split... and it will be much easier for the Dumno-Pas coalition of gain control..

    Posted 7 years ago by Thiruchelvam Thirunavukarasu · Reply

  • Dei Shafee - try another story

    Posted 7 years ago by Watchdog Watchdog · Reply

  • Thats right Shafee, keep telling yourself that. Your words only coming back blasting at you and your kind. You see karma keep receipts.

    Posted 7 years ago by Dayang Fazrina Abang Yasir · Reply

  • Shafee if you are making up a story or falsifying and conjuring up a malice intent , you will be in for a rude awakening. You better pray hard that Matthias is in agreement with you. Be prepared for many hard core jailbirds are aware of your explicit exclamatory delicious anal stories during the tour of yours and they would like to hear and practise it with you. Do not drop the soap please!!!!!

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • What you said are hearsay? Where is the proof.

    Posted 7 years ago by Richard L · Reply