KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram has dismissed former Attorney-General (AG) Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali’s allegations that he (Sri Ram) had been sent by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to convince the latter (Mohamed Apandi) to arrest Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak two years ago.
In his affidavit-in-reply filed on July 6, Sri Ram said he attended a meeting with Mohamed Apandi and his wife at their home in a purely professional capacity.
“During the meeting, I rendered certain advice which is the subject matter of legal professional privilege.
“Apandi was visibly upset by the attacks of cybertroopers,” he said.
Sri Ram said during the conversation, he advised Mohamed Apandi that there was evidence in the public domain against Najib and it was Mohamed Apandi’s duty to have Najib arrested and charged.
“At no time during the conversation did I ever mention I had been sent by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” he said.
The former Federal Court Judge contended that Mohamed Apandi was “attempting to frustrate” Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad and 1MDB audit report tampering trials.
“But these are mere self-corroboration of a conversation inaccurately recounted by Apandi. It is an attempt by him to come to the accused Najib’s aid with the view to frustrate the ongoing trials of Najib,” he said.
Sri Ram also denied that he had taken instructions from political figures and denied he was a political appointee.
“I am conducting the prosecution on the instructions of the Public Prosecutor. As such, the allegations of political bias against me are unfounded and without basis,’ he said.
Sri Ram’s affidavit was in response to Mohamed Apandi’s affidavit to support Najib’s application to disqualify Sri Ram from leading the prosecution team in Najib’s 1MDB audit report tampering case.
Mohamed Apandi Ali in his affidavit alleged Sri Ram of trying to convince him to arrest Najib in 2018, who was the prime minister at that time, over the 1MDB scandal and claimed that Sri Ram told him Dr Mahathir had sent him (Sri Ram) to see him (Mohamed Apandi).