Malaysia drops lead prosecutor in corruption case of deputy PM Ahmad Zahid, amid fears of political meddling

Attorney general removes Deputy Public Prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran from the case based on her April application for early retirement
Raja Rozela’s removal gives a negative perception of judicial freedom in Malaysia and could affect its reputation as a place of business, opposition says

Malaysia

Hadi Azmi

Published: 9:56pm, 8 Aug 2023

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Malaysia’s attorney general has dropped the lead prosecutor in a corruption case involving Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid after she applied for early retirement, as critics raise fears of political meddling in a trial second only in profile to the 1MDB scandal.

Ahmad Zahid is a key member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, which pulls in erstwhile rivals from Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Formerly a deputy to Prime Minister Najib Razak, Zahid was charged in 2018 with 47 counts of corruption, abuse of power and bribery involving more than 72 million ringgit (US$15.8 million) allegedly tied to his family-owned charity foundation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Attorney General Idrus Harun said he removed Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Raja Rozela Raja Toran from the case based on an application she made in April for early retirement.

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“The application was approved and will come into force on November 1, 2023,” Idrus said.

Raja Rozela will be taking a leave of absence from August 30, he added.

Helming the prosecution from the start in 2018, Raja Rozela steered the case through to January 2022 when the Kuala Lumpur High Court found the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the deputy prime minister, and ordered him to mount his defence.

She is replaced by Dusuki Mokhtar, the head of the division in charge of public interest and high-profile cases, with more than 30 years of experience as a senior prosecutor.

Before the attorney general’s statement, Malaysia’s untamed social media was abuzz with speculation over the sudden decision.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in 2017. Photo: AP

Deputy chief of opposition party Bersatu’s legal and constitution bureau Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif questioned Raja Rozela’s removal at a critical juncture of the trial, saying it gives a negative perception of judicial freedom in Malaysia.

“Any sign or perception that there has been interference or that the nation is soft on corruption will adversely affect our reputation as a place of business,” said Sasha Lyna, who is contesting the state elections on Saturday. “Nobody wants to do business with corrupt regimes.”

Ahmad Zahid’s return to the cabinet came following the stalemate result of the 2022 general election in November.

His return to the fold has sparked a wave of speculation about what it means to the ongoing trial after he forged an unlikely alliance with Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, which have been bitter enemies of his BN coalition since 1998.

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In July, the opposing Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition accused Anwar of striking a deal to drop the charges against Ahmad Zahid in return for BN supporting Anwar’s bid for the country’s top office.

Anwar said his appointment of the scandal-tainted Ahmad Zahid as his deputy last November meant that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Anwar himself maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration in 1999 and again in 2014.

The attorney general’s explanation, however, did not quell speculation, with the Malaysian public pointing out that Idrus’ predecessor Abdul Gani Patail was similarly removed from office under the guise of health reasons.

That came after he attempted to arrest then-prime minister Najib in 2016 for the 1MDB scandal.