Abdul Gani Patail

Abdul Gani Patail
Born	(1955-10-06) October 6, 1955 Sabah, Malaysia
Occupation	Legal professional
Years active	1980–2015
Known for	Attorney General of Malaysia (2002–2015); investigation of 1MDB scandal

Abdul Gani bin Patail (born 6 October 1955) is a Malaysian legal professional who held the position of Attorney General of Malaysia from 2002 until 2015, notably becoming the first individual from Sabah to assume this role. In July 2015, he notified law enforcement that investigators possessed adequate proof to formally charge Prime Minister Najib Razak. Shortly thereafter, Abdul Gani was dismissed under the official reason of "health concerns" and succeeded by Mohamed Apandi Ali.

Background

Abdul Gani earned his Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from the University of Malaya in 1979. His legal career commenced in 1980 when he took on the role of Deputy Public Prosecutor in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, advancing to Senior Federal Counsel by 1985.

He transitioned to the Attorney General's Chambers in Kuala Lumpur in January 1994, where he served as Head of the Prosecution Division during two periods (1994 and 2000), led the Advisory and International Division in 1995, and was appointed Commissioner of Law Revision in 1997.

On 1 January 2002, he ascended to the office of Attorney General. His term ended unexpectedly in 2015 following an announcement by the Chief Secretary citing health reasons for his removal; Abdul Gani reportedly was not informed prior to this decision. Before his exit, he headed a collaborative taskforce across multiple agencies investigating allegations of fund misappropriation related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal involving Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Investigating 1MDB corruption scandal

On 2 July 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that Malaysian authorities had tracked nearly US$700 million in deposits believed to be connected to Prime Minister Najib Razak's personal bank accounts.

The corruption accusations surrounding the heavily indebted state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) posed a significant challenge to Najib's reputation. Najib serves as chairman of the fund's advisory board.

Attorney General Abdul Gani confirmed on 4 July 2015 that he had received documents implicating Najib with 1MDB, which could lead to criminal prosecution.

On 27 July 2015, Chief Secretary Ali Hamsa announced that Abdul Gani would be replaced by former Federal Court judge Mohamed Apandi Ali, citing health issues. A constitutional expert observed that Abdul Gani had grounds to legally contest his removal under Article 145 (5) and (6).

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad revealed on 16 May 2018 that Abdul Gani was preparing charges against Najib at the time of his dismissal.

In August 2020, Ali Hamsa testified that he personally handed Abdul Gani's termination letter in 2015, which was reportedly drafted with involvement from Najib Razak.

Honours of Malaysia

• • Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (2005)
  • Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2003)
  • Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1993)
• • Grand Knight of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SUMW) – Datuk Seri Utama (2015)
• • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Life of the Crown of Kelantan (SJMK) – Dato' (2003)
• • Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DGSM) – Datuk Seri (2004)
• • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2005)
• • Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Perlis (DPMP) – Dato' (1995)
• • Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (2002)
  • Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) – Datuk (2001)
• • Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri (2009)
• • Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (SSIS) – Dato' Setia (2003)

See also

• 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal
• Corruption in Malaysia