From the onset, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had made it clear that Mohamed Apandi Ali's head was on the chopping block.

However, the latter refused to step down as attorney-general despite Mahathir openly accusing him of concealing evidence with regard to the 1MDB scandal.

Apandi denied this, claiming that he had acted according to the rule of law.

On May 14, Mahathir said Apandi had been asked to go on leave and solicitor-general Engku Nor Faizah Engku Atek assigned to take over his duties with immediate effect.

Apandi still refused to throw in the towel despite pressure from various quarters.

However, the curtain finally came down on Apandi's close to two-year tenure as AG this morning after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V consented to his removal and the appointment of constitutional expert Tommy Thomas as his successor.

When Malaysiakini contacted Apandi for comment, he sent an image of an inspirational quote via WhatsApp, which read: “Everything is going to be okay in the end, and if it's not okay, it's not the end.”

In another Whatsapp message to Bernama earlier, he said: “I accept any decision as the will of Allah SWT. Alhamdulillah.”

Apandi, who hails from Kelantan, was appointed as AG on July 27, 2015 replacing Abdul Gani Patail, who was removed on the grounds of health reasons.

This sparked off speculation that the appointment was done to cover-up former premier Najib Abdul Razak's alleged involvement in the 1MDB and SRC International case.

At the time of his removal, Gani was heading a special task force investigating the RM2.6 billion and SRC International funds which flowed into Najib's personal bank accounts.

Apandi later cleared the former premier of any wrongdoing and confirmed Najib's claim that the RM2.6 billion was a donation from a Saudi royalty.

Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain despite international investigations suggesting the sum originated from 1MDB.