Former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) investigations director Abdul Razak Idris, whose statutory declaration (SD) was used by Anwar Ibrahim to exonerate himself from a graft allegation, says the SD does not completely clear the opposition leader.

"I was involved in the investigations and in the course of the probe, so much was unearthed that by the time we were done, the investigation papers were about 1m high.

"Not having enough evidence to charge a person does not mean that the person being investigated is innocent. It can also mean that it is pointless to file charges as they will not stick in court," Razak is quoted in a New Straits Times exclusive today.

Razak had on Nov 10, 2009, signed an SD stating that the team he led to investigate the allegation that Anwar had stashed RM3 billion in foreign bank accounts when Anwar was deputy prime minister found that there was no case.

In the report, Razak who is currently in Medan, Indonesia, also revealed the circumstances leading to his filing the SD.

He said the ACA's then chief Ahmad Said Hamdan in 2009 asked him to stand in for the agency when the Ahmad Said was subpoenaed by Anwar in a defamation suit.

The suit was brought by Anwar against The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) over an article titled 'Anwar's link to US lobbyist' which was published on March 2, 2002.

Razak, who left the ACA in 2004, told NST that Anwar had known that 'there was no case' against him and that he had the upper hand in the case as all documents seized in the course of the investigations had been returned.

Since he was subpoenaed as the plaintiff's witness, Razak added, he acceded to Anwar's request to draw up the SD as Anwar had refused to put his statement down in an affidavit.

'Anwar afraid I would turn hostile'

"He (Anwar) was afraid that I would turn hostile, so I was asked to make the SD and I tendered the SD when I was in the witness box."

On Anwar's action to use his SD to clear himself, Razak said anyone in such a position would do that.

NST also reported that Anwar's media coordinator, Eekmal Ahmad, had refused comment on the latest development.

"For as long as the SD is not changed and Razak stands by the SD he made years ago, we don't see any problem. An SD cannot be changed, otherwise Razak could be cited for perjury," Eekmal said.

The allegation dubbed 'RM3 billion master accounts' refers to the statutory declaration made by former Bank Negara assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid in 1999 which claims, among others, that Anwar controlled about RM3 billion in 20 separate accounts while he was the finance minister.

However, Murad retracted his declaration later, claiming that the ACA coerced him into signing it.

After investigation, the ACA closed the case in 2000.

The ACA has since been upgraded to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

PKR: ACA man made SD voluntarily