Attorney-General Tommy Thomas should get the benefit of the doubt on the LTTE 12 issue, said de facto deputy law minister Hanipa Maidin.

Hanipa said Thomas had given his reasons as to why he dropped the charges against 12 suspects linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was a good thing.

"Unfortunately, by giving reasons, the AG may be subject to harsh criticism as his reasons may not be accepted by some quarters.

"It is fair not to accept any reason given by the AG. But, at the end of the day, it is not the reasons which matter. What matters is the integrity of such an office, the AG's office.

"When the holder of such an office has impeccable integrity, in my view, we have to give the benefit of the doubt for any of his decisions. Therein lies the rule of law," he said in a statement today.

In an 11-page statement, Thomas had said he was discontinuing prosecution as the common thread among all of the 12 LTTE-linked suspects was that they simply had photos of slain LTTE leaders, such as Velupillai Prabhakaran, in their phones or Facebook accounts.

Hanipa said Article 145 (3) of the Federal Constitution grants the attorney-general the power to charge or drop criminal charges against anyone.

Thomas' decision had courted brickbats from Bersatu and Umno leaders for allegedly putting national security at risk

Bersatu leaders were also incensed by Thomas urging the Home Affairs Ministry to no longer list the LTTE as a terrorist group. This was rebuffed by Bersatu president and Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as well.