Dr Mahathir Mohamad has claimed it is wrong for the government to place the 1MDB investigation reports under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

The three reports the Pakatan Harapan chairperson was referring to are from the probes conducted on the state fund by the MACC, the Public Accounts Committee and Bank Negara.

"A criminal action by any government officer does not constitute an official secret. Official secrets are not about (hiding) criminal acts.

"It is wrong to put these three reports under the OSA as it is a case of, or akin to hiding. When you hide evidence of a crime you are committing a crime," he stressed.

Mahathir said that evidence regarding 1MDB has not been shown to courts and the public, and insisted the public has a right to know the contents of the three reports.

He was asked to comment on the Feb 14 dismissal of Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua's appeal against an injunction imposed on him by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (photo).

In dismissing Pua’s appeal, the Court of Appeal had taken judicial notice that Najib has been cleared of wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal by the attorney-general, police, PAC, MACC, and Bank Negara.

The former prime minister was met on the sidelines after testifying at the Kuala Lumpur High Court over his son Mukhriz Mahathir's defamation suit against former DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim.

Tunku Abdul Aziz is being sued for allegedly accusing Mahathir of offering DAP leader Lim Kit Siang the post of deputy prime minister in exchange for Mukhriz (photo) being made prime minister, should Harapan win in the 14th general election.

'Not a public officer?'

Mahathir also said he was upset with the Federal Court’s decision today to dismiss the misfeasance in public office suit against Najib, brought by Mahathir and two former Umno grassroots leaders, Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Anina Saadudin.

The three-member Federal Court panel had unanimously reaffirmed the High Court's earlier decision that Najib is not a public officer.

"I do not understand why he (Najib) is not a public officer. Whatever he does involves the government and involves the public,” he said.

Mahathir went on to ask reporters who was leading the apex court bench, and when told it was Chief Justice Md Raus Sharif, he said "l have doubts over the legality of his position."

"I think he should not listen to this case," he said, referring to his judicial challenge on the contentious appointments of Raus and Court of Appeal president Dzulkefli Ahmad Makinudin.