(July 8): The Attorney-General today expressed concern over allegations linking him to a "political agenda" in the investigation into the billions of ringgit allegedly channeled into the prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's bank accounts.

Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said the purpose of establishing an inter-agency Special Task Force to investigate the matter was to ensure that there could be no abuse of the investigation mechanism.

His remarks come following a suggestion from blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who was once charged with criminally defaming Datuk Seri Najib Razak, that top civil servants are conspiring to remove the prime minister from his position in a "coup d'etat".

Raja Petra, who lives in self-exile in Manchester, England, said the task force investigating the alleged US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) money trail from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) into Najib’s personal accounts was part of a wider plot involving six Tan Sris.

He named Attorney General Tan Sri Gani Patail, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed,Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr  Zeti Akhtar Aziz

“If the anti-Prime Minister forces succeed in bringing down Najib Tun Razak, this is going to be the first coup d’état in Malaysian history, 50 years after the one in Indonesia. And history will probably remember this as the day of the six Tan Sris – the four in that press statement (his posting on their appointment to the task force) and another two who I am sure you know who they are,” he wrote.

Earlier today three opposition MPs also cast doubts about the four “Tan Sris” heading the special task force probing 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and said they needed to be replaced are as they are subordinate officers to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, making it hard for the public to trust the investigation.

The three are Hee Loy Sian of Petaling Jaya Selatan, Khalid Abdul Samad of Shah Alam and Lim Lip Eng of Segambut.

“What more when (the probe) is going on while Najib has not gone on leave as a prime minister and is still performing his government duties, including that of finance minister,” they said in a joint statement.

The Tan Sris they were referring to are Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed.

The three MPs also repeated the call by opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for Putrajaya to form an independent Royal Commission of Inquiry so that the probe could be done transparently and without fear or favour.

The three MPs said if the probe continued under the four individuals, the public would have difficulty accepting its findings, especially if it ended up absolving Najib of any wrongdoing.

“This is because the investigators are the friends and officers of Najib himself.

“We believe that in the name of transparency and independence and to preserve the good name of the Prime Minister, these four Tan Sris would not object to other individuals taking their place in the task force,” the law makers said. – The Malaysian Insider