'Appeals over Khairuddin's 1MDB-linked detention of public interest’

 

Two appeals related to Khairuddin Abu Hassan’s 62-day detention in 2015 linked to the 1MDB affair are of public interest, the Court of Appeal noted.

As a result, the three-person appellate bench chaired by M Nantha Balan vacated the initially set online hearing today for the appeals by the government as well as Khairuddin (above), a stalwart of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The government’s appeal is against a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision last year that ruled it and the authorities were liable for Khairuddin’s detention after he lodged multiple reports in several foreign countries over the 1MDB matter.

Khairuddin’s appeal is to seek a higher compensation than the RM300,000 awarded by the High Court over the detention that took place during the administration of then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib is serving a 12-year jail sentence over a RM42 million graft case linked to SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

At the onset of the hearing via Zoom this morning, Nantha remarked that the issues involved in the appeals are of public interest and better to be heard via a publicly accessible physical open court hearing.

Nantha noted this is especially since among the issues involved was whether there had been malicious prosecution of Khairuddin.

[More to follow] - Mkini