52. Tommy Thomas on the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia and his role as attorney general

KickBack - The Global Anticorruption Podcast

Tommy Thomas was the Attorney General of Malaysia and primarily responsible for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad case and has recently written the book “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness” about his time in office (see link below). He describes his path leading him to become the first practicing barrister to be appointed directly from the Malaysian Bar to be the Attorney General and which challenges he faced in the new job. The interview covers the role of the Malaysian anti-corruption agency MACC, the pros, and cons of investigative and prosecutorial authority for anti-corruption agencies, and the importance of the integrity of people holding office for the functioning of institutions. Matthew mentions the previous episodes on political institutions in the US, you can find them in the show notes. Thomy outlines his reform agenda for Malaysia including the proposal to separate the office of the attorney general from the office of the public prosecutor. The interview also covers the most recent developments in Malaysia leading to the resignation of Tommy in early 2020. In the end, Tommy and Matthew discuss the contested issue of asset return. Links: Tommy Thomas’ book: My Story: Justice in the Wilderness - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56895311-my-story More information about Tommy Thomas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Thomas_(barrister) More info on the 1MDB scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1Malaysia_Development_Berhad_scandal Episodes on US political institutions: 48. Gary Kalman on the Corporate Transparency Act & the Corruption Perception Index score in the USA: https://soundcloud.com/kickback-gap/48gary-kalman-on-the-corporate-transparency-act-the-corruption-perception-index-score-in-the-usa 45. Norm Eisen on the vulnerabilities and resilience of American political institutions: https://soundcloud.com/kickback-gap/45-norm-eisen-on-the-vulnerabilities-and-resilience-of-american-political-institutions 43. Jack Goldsmith on his book "After Trump" & ways to avoid corruption in upcoming administrations: https://soundcloud.com/kickback-gap/43-jack-goldsmith-on-his-book-after-trump-ways-to-avoid-corruption-in-upcoming-administrations A related podcast episode discussing international asset recovery 51. Thomas Stelzer on the Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency & Integrity https://soundcloud.com/kickback-gap/51-thomas-stelzer-on-the-panel-on-international-financial-accountability-transparency-integrity