COMMENT | In December 2019, Rafizi Ramli, the current economy minister, then just “another politician”, criticised the then attorney-general Tommy Thomas after the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) officers challenged the decision to acquit and discharge him and bank clerk Johari Mohamad over the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) charges.

In an immediate response, Thomas told Malaysiakini: “I was not aware that the appeal was filed. I did not instruct my officers to appeal this case. This is clear disobedience. I will initiate disciplinary action against those responsible.”

The appeal was subsequently rescinded.

Two days later, his predecessor weighed in with a statement saying that the AGC almost always notified the court that they would appeal after losing a criminal trial.

“This is done based on...