"This is absolutely shocking because MACC was continuing with the lie after the truth had been pointed out to them."

– Tommy Thomas

COMMENT | The quote that opens this piece is a public statement by former attorney-general Tommy Thomas two years ago, as a rebuttal against a lie made by the MACC that the plea bargain between the prosecution and movie producer Riza Abdul Aziz was achieved during Thomas' stint as attorney-general.

Thomas said: "To compound matters, after I corrected MACC’s false statement on the evening of May 14, MACC responded by stating that they stood by their first statement.”

What does it say of the MACC when a former AG accuses a public body of lying, and the head of the MACC merely says that if the former AG wants to deny, that’s up to him?

What kind of banana republic is this? It is as if everyone has dropped the pretence of professionalism and independence. It is as if everyone associated with this regime