Mukhriz fails in bid to cite Aziz Kaprawi for contempt

PPBM deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir has claimed Umno supreme council member Aziz Kaprawi’s statement may influnce the outcome of his court case.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today dismissed PPBM deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir’s bid to initiate contempt proceedings against Umno supreme council member Aziz Kaprawi.

Mukhriz had alleged that Aziz had made a statement which might influence the outcome of his court case against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad.

However, Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim ruled that although Aziz’s statement was referring to Mukhriz’s on-going defamation lawsuit, the statement did not attack the credibility of the court.

“The statement from Aziz was merely his comments on the continuation of a political quarrel and he was expressing his views on the case like how reporters do.

“Besides that, his statement was not related to the subject matter of this main lawsuit and it does not impact the outcome,” Zaidi said.

The court did not make any order to costs.

Mukhriz filed the application to initiate contempt proceedings against Aziz last year.

Aziz, who is also deputy transport minister, claimed in a statement that Mukhriz had said in court that his father, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin had been conspiring since 2014 to take over the government.

Previously, Mukhriz also filed an application to obtain leave to cite Najib for contempt.

He claimed that Najib’s statement on Facebook, dated July 7, 2017, a week before his lawsuit started, was intentionally done to interfere with the course of justice.

However, the court dismissed his application and ruled that Mukhriz had failed to show that the statement by Najib had put pressure on the court to influence the outcome of his lawsuit.

The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal last month.

Meanwhile, Mukhriz’s lawsuit against Tengku Sariffuddin will continue from July 16 to 19.

Mukhriz sued Tengku Sariffuddin in 2016 over four press statements issued by the latter on April 15, 20, 23 and 26 the same year.

The press statements were titled “Prime Minister’s Press Secretary’s Statement on Donation Confirmation by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister”, “Prime Minister’s Press Secretary’s Statement on Former DPM’s Reuters Interview”, “Mukhriz Mahathir’s Statement: Response by Prime Minister’s Press Secretary” and “Prime Minister’s Press Secretary’s Statement on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir”. -FMT