Dr M informed of terms of settlement over Apandi's lawsuit, says AG

KUALA LUMPUR - Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun today said that he had already informed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of the terms of settlement pertaining to a lawsuit filed by Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali against the former prime minister and the Malaysian government.

He said following the settlement, Mohamed Apandi withdrew his suit on the termination of his contract as the Attorney-General.

Idrus further said the court then struck out the plaintiff’s claim with no liberty to file afresh.

"I can only confirm that Tun (Dr Mahathir) wrote recently seeking infomation on the terms of settlement. I had already replied to inform him of the terms of settlement,” he told Bernama via WhatsApp when asked to comment on the matter.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir, in his Facebook post, expressed surprise and disagreement with the way the suit was settled out of court, claiming that he was not told of the terms of settlement despite being the main witness in the case.

"I have written to the Attorney-General (Tan Sri Idrus Harun). I feel that the government should not have given in as the termination of Mohamed Apandi’s service was done according to procedures and with the power vested in the government.

"When I gave a statement to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in preparation for Mohamed Apandi’s suit against me, I was told that the process of terminating the service was proper and in accordance with procedures and the Rule of Law," he added.

The Langkawi Member of Parliament also questioned the need to pay compensation if Mohamed Apandi’s service had been terminated in accordance with the law.

The former prime minister asked why the terms of settlement were kept confidential, saying that the people had the right to know especially since it involved compensation.

Dr Mahathir stressed that he did not admit any wrongdoing and was prepared to face Mohamed Apandi in court.

On April 13, the High Court here struck out the suit after the government agreed to settle the case without any admission of liability, and the terms of settlement could not be disclosed publicly.

The court had earlier fixed April 18, 20, 21 and 22 this year for hearing the suit.- BERNAMA