Datuk Liew Vui Keong – Bernama file photo
SANDAKAN: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law), Datuk Liew Vui Keong said Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas has the right to drop all charges against the 12 people who were accused of supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) .
“I was informed of the matter through the Attorney General’s press statement. According to Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, the Attorney General has the right to drop or proceed with one’s charges after one is charged at court.
“So this is within his ‘power’; he has the right to make such a decision. As for whether or not his decision was judicious, that is up to him.
“We (other parties) could not interfere. I could not comment on this because only he (Attorney General) has the full information and only he has the right to make such a decision.
“The Attorney General in our country is allowed to make decision independently, so he could do that. If we look at the past Attorney General, they have also done the same thing and those (cases) involved accused that are being mentioned in court.
“For this case (the 12 accused), they are still in the process of being charged,” he said during a press conference after he handing out donation to victims of fire incident in Kampung Sheng Kee which occurred last Friday morning.
On Friday, Thomas announcement that all 34 charges that were faced by the 12 people in Kuala Lumpur would be dropped, as “there is no realistic prospect of conviction” against any of them.