Umno 16 drops contempt case against Ku Nan

The 16 Umno branch members who earlier challenged the party’s legality, today dropped their contempt proceedings against Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Tengku Adnan, who was then Umno secretary-general, had announced the expulsion of the 16 members after they filed a judicial review application to quash the Registrar of Societies' (ROS) decision to allow Umno a time extension to hold its party elections.

After their expulsion from the party, the 16 members then responded by filing contempt proceedings against Tengku Adnan.

The withdrawal of the application for contempt was made before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice Nordin Hassan.

Lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla for the Umno 16, said he had been instructed by his clients to withdraw the application in light of the new government and also because Adnan is no longer the secretary-general.

Today was initially fixed for the hearing for leave to cite Tengku Adnan for contempt. Tengku Adnan is now the Umno treasurer-general following the party’s elections last month.

"However, the appeal by the 16 over the High Court's decision which dismissed their challenge on Umno's legality as a party due to it not holding its branch, division and supreme council post elections before the stipulated time, is still going on at the Court of Appeal.

"That appeal has been fixed for July 30 at the Court of Appeal for case management," he said.

The 16 had named the ROS and Umno organising secretary Abdul Rauf Yusoh as respondents.

[More to follow] - Mkini