Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said Dzulkifli, who began his current appointment in August last year, was working in the AGC when it cleared Prime Minister Najib Razak in relation to US$681 million (RM2.08 billion) transferred to his account.
He claimed Dzulkifli was present with AG Mohamed Apandi Ali during the press conference on Jan 26 last year where Apandi absolved Najib of wrongdoing in receiving the amount as “donation”, and in getting RM42 million from 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Ramkarpal said Dzulkifli may have been involved in the AGC’s investigations on the matter.
“In the circumstances, I call upon Dzulkifli to recuse himself from partaking in any matter related to the investigation of 1MDB or any matter related thereto by the MACC,” he said today.
He said this would include not participating in any investigation related to the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) latest lawsuit filed on June 15 to seize assets worth US$540 million (RM2.3 billion) allegedly purchased with funds linked to 1MDB.
The DoJ had filed an earlier lawsuit in Washington in July last year to confiscate more than US$1 billion (RM4.28 billion) in connection with the sovereign wealth fund.
“Dzulkifli must make his role in the investigations of 1MDB (when he was attached with the AGC) known to avoid any negative perception that he may be biased in relation to the same,” Ramkarpal said in a statement today.
On June 17 this year, Dzulkifli said MACC will not investigate 1MDB over allegations of financial improprieties as it did not want to overlap with investigations started by the police.
He said it had been decided among relevant government agencies that investigations on the sovereign wealth fund would be done solely by the police.
The next day, Ramkarpal had said Dzulkifli’s assertion suggested that MACC was not independent.
He said MACC should not be influenced by any quarter, including the police and the AGC, when it comes to investigating corruption.
Ramkarpal today asked how Dzulkifli could act on 1MDB now if he was a part of the AGC team which cleared Najib last year.
“How can he now, as head of the MACC, participate in the MACC’s investigations into 1MDB and/or matters related to it when he may have been a part of the AGC which deliberated on the matter in detail then?” Ramkarpal said.
He said Dzulkifli may not be seen to be impartial in any decision of MACC under him pertaining to the 1MDB investigations or matters related to it.
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