Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali has been further attacked for detaining critics of 1MDB under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) and charging them for sabotaging the country's banking services.

Gerakan national legal and human rights bureau chief Baljit Singh said the AG owes an explanation to all Malaysians on how he categorised former Umno Batu Kawan deputy chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang as “terrorists”.

Baljit said the AG also needs to explain how the duo can be seen as sabotaging the country’s financial banking sector when they lodged police reports against 1MDB.

He added the duo lodged the reports because they were really concerned for the sovereign fund, which reportedly has massive debts amounting to billions of ringgit.

Being a lawyer himself, Baljit ( photo ) was especially concerned with the charge and detention of Chang under Sosma.

“The act of the police arresting the lawyer has resulted in shock waves across the country and even globally, especially in the legal fraternity,” Baljit told Malaysiakini .

“We are here to defend our clients but it seems that assisting our clients to lodge police reports can subject us to being arrested as well,” said the practising lawyer from Penang.

“We may be defending our clients who are charged under Sosma and appearing in court with them. As they are suspected terrorists, are we also going to be arrested?

“This may happen to the whole legal fraternity,” he cautioned.

'Review and withdraw charges'

Baljit urged Apandi to immediately review and withdraw the charges against the duo, and release them from their Sosma detention, in the interest of Malaysia.

Yesterday, Khairuddin and Matthias were jointly charged under Section 124L of the Penal Code, which is read together with Section 34 of the code.

They are accused of committing their acts between June 28 and Aug 26 this year, at investigating bodies in France, England, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore.

If found guilty, they may face up to 15 years in jail. They are being held in the Sungai Buloh prison in Selangor.

The detention of the duo has also been criticised heavily by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed ( photo ), big guns Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal, former Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Junid and former MCA presidents Ong Tee Keat and Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Meanwhile, Baljit said in principle, people generally accept that the country needs laws to deal with terrorists, and Sosma is meant to be used only against suspected terrorists - not in cases of political dissent.

“This sets a very bad precedent in law and sends out a very bad message that it is being used for political mileage. We should put our political differences aside and look at this situation because the AG has set a very bad and wrong precedent to charge the duo, especially the lawyer, with a law menat to be used against terrorists,” Baljit said.

He said some quarters may say that Sosma is better than the now outdated Internal Security Act, but he was more concerned about the purpose of the law.

“Lets be honest, people reject laws like ISA and the Sedition Act because of the way it has been used or abused,” he pointed out.