No criminal wrongdoing in Judge Nazlan's case - PM

KUALA LUMPUR - The investigation conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) found no criminal wrongdoing in the case involving Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who was previously linked to a corruption case.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the matter was also agreed upon by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

"The MACC has opened an investigation paper on Mohd Nazlan after receiving a report of his alleged involvement in a corruption case.

"The agency then carried out a detailed investigation and found no criminal wrongdoing was committed and this was agreed upon by the Attorney-General’s Chambers,” he said at the Dewan Negara sitting here today.

Anwar was replying to Senator Datuk A. Kesavadas’s supplementary question on the status of the investigation into Mohd Nazlan over the alleged corruption and conflict of interests that were said to exist on the part of the judge while presiding over the trial of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

On the issue of conflict of interest, Anwar said that the same issue was conclusively decided by the Federal Court when rejecting Najib's application to present additional or new evidence.

"In other words, the issue of conflict of interest was conclusively decided by the highest court in the country. Furthermore, on Aug 9, 2022, the defendant withdrew the allegation against Judge Nazlan.

"The judgment of the Federal Court is relevant as it resolves the case e case, that the source of money said to be misappropriated from the SRC International funds was not relevant for the purpose of proving the charge of criminal breach of trust," he said.

The Prime Minister said the important element to be proven for the charge is whether the accused had control over the misappropriated funds.

"The Federal Court found that there was no connection between Judge Nazlan's previous employment at Maybank and the charge. The source of the misappropriated funds was also acknowledged as irrelevant by the defendant's lawyers.

"If such a source of funds is irrelevant, then Judge Nazlan's role or employment at Maybank is also irrelevant. That is the decision of the Federal Court, and the government acknowledges that decision," he said.

It was confirmed that Judge Mohd Nazlan had held the position of Legal Counsel and Company Secretary of Maybank Investment Bank Berhad in 2006. - BERNAMA