Dr M to AG: I don’t agree to out of court settlement with former AG Apandi’s suit
PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) disagrees with the out-of-court settlement between the government and former attorney general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.
The former prime minister said he was shocked to read reports recently that the government made an out-of-court settlement, in which the terms of the settlement could not be disclosed.
ALSO READ: Ex-AG Apandi’s suit against Dr M, govt settled
“I was not informed of the decision although I was the primary witness in the suit,” said Dr Mahathir in a tweet Friday (May 6).
“I have written to the Attorney General (AG) that I do not agree with the said settlement as I feel the government should not concede as the decision to end Apandi’s tenure was done according to the administration and powers vested with the government,” he said.
Dr Mahathir also said he could not understand why the settlement terms should be a secret as the people have the right to know as it involved compensation.
“Should compensation be paid if action was taken according to the law? Where is the Rule of Law?” he asked in a series of tweets Friday.
On April 13, it was reported that the suit filed by Mohamed Apandi against Dr Mahathir and the Malaysian government over the termination of his contract as attorney general had been settled amicably at the High Court.
“Without prejudice, the government has agreed to settle the case without any admission of liability. The suit was dismissed without freedom to re-file and without any order as to costs,” counsel Datuk Dr Baljit Singh Sidhu, who represented Mohamed Apandi as the plaintiff in the suit, told reporters after the case proceedings via video conferencing on April 13.
On Oct 13, 2020, Mohamed Apandi had filed the suit, naming Dr Mahathir and the government as the first and second defendants respectively, seeking among others a declaration that the termination of his contract as attorney general by the former prime minister as invalid.
He had sought RM2,233,599.36 in special, general and exemplary damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.