‘Withdrawal of charges worrying’
KUALA LUMPUR: The “trend” of charges against Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders being withdrawn is worrying, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Pengerang member of parliament (MP) said the attorneygeneral must explain the rationale behind such a decision as it could lead to negative public perception of the judiciary.
She said even more worrying was that the withdrawn cases involved those facing sedition, criminal breach of trust and information leak charges.
“In such cases, there must be an explanation because it may create a negative perception on the separation of powers.”
Azalina, who is former de facto law minister in the Barisan Nasional administration, did not state the cases she was referring to.
However, she acknowledged that Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution granted the attorneygeneral absolute powers in preferring charges and his decision could not be challenged in court.
Nevertheless, she said, the judicial arm of government must be free from any form of meddling.
Azalina’s statement follows the acquittal of PKR’s Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa, PKR’s former Padang Rengas MP N. Surendran and political cartoonist Zunar of sedition charges on Monday.
In Sivarasa’s case, the deputy public prosecutor told the Sessions Court that the prosecutor had accepted a representation from the lawmaker, who is deputy rural development minister.
A separate judge in the Sessions Court freed Surendran and Zunar of sedition after another deputy public prosecutor said his office was withdrawing charges.