Shafee: RM9.5m payment was for BN’s election petitions, not Anwar prosecution

(MMO) – The RM9.5 million paid by Datuk Seri Najib Razak was not for the task of being lead prosecutor in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II appeals, but for unpaid work for Barisan Nasional in election petition cases, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah clarified today.

Shafee asserted that he had even wanted to provide his services as prosecutor in Anwar’s cases for free, but that an amount of RM1,000 was eventually fixed as the consideration amount in his contract for the appointment.

“For purposes of record, I have never taken a single cent from the government of Malaysia or anybody else in relation to my undertaking of the prosecution of the appeals. I must stress that even the RM1,000 was never claimed by me to date,” he said in a six-page statement today.

As for the RM9.5 million payment from Najib, Shafee said he had in a meeting around September 2013 told the then prime minister and Barisan Nasional chairman and also Umno president that he would be happy if Najib could settle payment of RM11 million owed to Shafee for legal work done for 46 election petition files from 2004 to 2006.

“Najib however, agreed to pay RM9.5 million as complete settlement of the legal fees of the 46 election petition matters but he had asked me to rationalise the paper work later.

“I agreed to this arrangement. Here I must stress that I was made to understand that Najib was made responsible for handing the party’s funds as this was a normal party practice. I had at that time absolutely no knowledge of the source of the payments to me by Najib,” he added.