Expressing shock and disappointment, it said the action to withdraw the appeal against the Putrajaya MP gave way to a bad perception and had eroded public confidence in the neutrality of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

“The decision has tainted its credibility and raised questions of its independence to carry out its duties professionally.

“Thus, we are studying to see if the AG’s action is contrary to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between PH and the government. Article 4 of the MoU specifically refers to the need to maintain the independence of the judiciary,” it said in a statement.

The council said it maintained that the AGC’s decision was not only wrong but also extremely disappointing.

The statement was co-signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau.

PH said the people wanted the appeal to be heard to ensure all legal avenues were exhausted before freeing Tengku Adnan.

It said that while it understood the AG had the power to decide, the case involved a senior MP and a former federal minister.

The council said it would scrutinise all similar actions by the AG on high profile cases and consider the steps to be taken next to ensure the institution was not being compromised.

“The AG should resign if he fails to justify his decision,” it said.

Last December, the Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Tengku Adnan of accepting RM2 million in bribes from businessman Chai Kin Kong and sentenced him to 12 months’ jail and a RM2 million fine.

The Court of Appeals then overturned the decision by a 2-1 majority, ruling that the money was a political donation.

AG Idrus Harun filed an appeal in the Federal Court in July over the decision but withdrew it last week.