PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar has called on the Attorney-Generalâs Chambers (AGC) to provide detailed grounds on the ânew developmentsâ in the graft trial of former Federal Territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after the prosecution told the court they did not wish to proceed with the case due to some ânew developmentsâ, on the day the ministerâs trial was supposed to resume.
Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir said the application raises questions on the investigations at this stage, right before the trial was scheduled to resume.
âIt is also very concerning that no time frame on further investigating this ânew developmentâ has been provided.
âWe take the view that the Public Prosecutor, in the exercise of his constitutional powers and discretion to discontinue a prosecution in such a high-profile case, needs to provide valid, rational and cogent reasons for his decision,â he said in a statement.
Salim stressed that the public has the right to know the detailed explanation on the discharge not amounting to acquittal in relation to Tengku Adnanâs RM1 million corruption case.
The money was allegedly deposited into Tengku Adnanâs CIMB Bank account as an inducement to assist the application by Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd to increase the industrial plot ratio of a piece of land on Jalan Semarak.
The offence is said to have taken place at the Putra World Trade Centre CIMB branch on Dec 27, 2013.
If found guilty, Tengku Adnan faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the sum he allegedly received.
