KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former inspector-general of police Tun Hanif Omar and former attorney-general Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman were described as "crooks" who had forgotten that they used to serve and defend the administration.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the three men were strong government supporters when they were in the government.

"But the moment they left, they became the biggest critics.

"We know that dignitaries who have left the government service, they tend to forget. Once they are no longer in the government, they tend to criticise us, the institution and administration that served them.

"Now, these are all crooks," he said after opening the Malaysian Technical Cooperation programme at the National Institute of Public Administration yesterday.

He said this when he was asked to respond to a statement by Abu Talib, the Suhakam chairman, who had criticised him for a remark he made in Parliament earlier this month.

On July 2, Nazri had said that Abu Talib was unfit to sit as Suhakam chairman as he had commented on the Perak crisis when the matter was before the court.

Abu Talib was quoted in newspapers as saying: "Perhaps the time has come for the people of Perak to be given the opportunity to exercise their right to choose again the government of their choice, which is a basic human right."

Yesterday, Nazri said as a lawyer Abu Talib should know his limits with regard to the Perak crisis.

"As a former A-G, he had prosecuted people in the past and he is one person who should know the law.

"He commented that elections should be called.

"It is none of his business especially at a time when the court was trying to decide on this.

"He should know better and he should realise how much clout he has on the poor judge who might be just a junior officer when he was the A-G," Nazri said.