PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Attorney-General (AG) Tommy Thomas has tendered his resignation.

Tan Sri Thomas reportedly handed in his letter to interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday (Feb 28), business daily The Edge reported.

No reason was given for his resignation although The Edge, quoting a source, said Mr Thomas wanted to resign while Tun Dr Mahathir was still in office.

Mr Thomas's appointment as AG was for a two-year period ending in June.

He has taken a high-profile lead on cases related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), including the ongoing trial of former prime minister Najib Razak who is accused of corruption in relation to the state investment fund.

Mr Thomas' resignation, at a time of a possible government change, is expected to bring a temporary halt to these cases.

Dr Mahathir had appointed Mr Thomas, a constitutional lawyer with four decades of experience in the legal profession in June 2018 despite widespread concerns in Malaysia that the latter is not from the Malay Muslim majority.

At that time, there had been worries from Malay and Muslim groups, including Islamist party Parti Islam SeMalaysia that Mr Thomas would be unable to uphold the status of Islam - the official religion of the federation - given his assertions that Malaysia is a secular state.