KUALA LUMPUR: Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun has defended the decision to drop Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran as the lead prosecutor in Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's corruption case, saying it was done to ensure continuity.
He said the decision was made following Raja Rozela's request for early retirement.
He said Raja Rozela had applied for early retirement on April 3 this year, which was subsequently approved and would come into effect on Nov 1, 2023.
The senior prosecutor had been the lead DPP in the case where the Deputy Prime Minister is accused of misappropriating RM31 million of charity foundation Yayasan Akal Budi (YAB) funds.
"Raja Rozela had also applied to go on leave before retiring, starting Aug 30, 2023.
"Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar has been chosen as the lead prosecutor in the case involving Zahid based on his 30-year experience as deputy public prosecutor.
"He is currently the Appellate and Trial Division head which handles Federal Court and Appeals Court cases, including the Sulu invasion in Lahad Datu, Sabah," he said in a statement today.
As Zahid's graft case was still ongoing with dates for his trial set until December 2023, Idrus said a new team lead had to be appointed from now to ensure continuity of the case.
"The decision has been made to ensure that the prosecution towards Zahid would not be affected, apart from ensuring that the AG's Chambers can uphold justice in accordance with the jurisdiction of the AG allocated under Clause 3 Article 145 of the Federal Constitution," he added.
Zahid, 70, is facing 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, graft and money laundering involving YAB funds, and was accused of committing the offences between March 28, 2016 and April 11, 2018.
He was charged on Oct 19, 2018 and had since been ordered to enter defence.