Anwar's press-sec seeks to remove parts of Yusoff Rawther's suit against him

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim’s press-secretary Tunku Nashrul Tunku Abaidah has filed an application to remove parts of a suit against him by Muhammad Yusoff Rawther for allegedly being a political stunt and abuse of court process for political gain.

This was confirmed by Tunku Nashrul’s counsel Muhammad Azwar Ab Manab when contacted by Malaysiakini this afternoon.

The expungement application was filed at the Shah Alam Sessions Court Registry on Oct 25 last year.

Azwar said that his client seeks the removal of the paragraphs which have to do with Port Dickson MP Anwar because they have no direct bearing on the cause of action stated by the suit targeting Tunku Nashrul.

“The information (stated in the impugned paragraphs) has nothing to do with the (Yusoff’s suit’s) cause of action. (The main suit itself) has nothing to do with Anwar,” Azwar said.

On Feb 5, it was reported that Anwar’s political aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak filed a similar application to expunge parts of a suit against him (Farhash) by Yusoff (above).

Azwar, who also acts for Farhash, today said that the outcome of both expungement applications (by Farhash and Tunku Nashrul) is set for decision before two separate Shah Alam Sessions Courts tomorrow morning.

The lawyer added that in the event that the two lower courts allowed the applications, it would not amount to striking out the entire suits but merely to remove the impugned paragraphs from the suits’ statement of claim.

Checks at the online cause list at ecourtservices.kehakiman.gov.my showed that Farhash’s application is set before Shah Alam Sessions Court judge Fathiyah Idris at 9am tomorrow, while Tunku Nashrul’s bid is listed before Shah Alam Sessions Court judge Ishak Bakri, also at 9am tomorrow.

According to a copy of Tunku Nashrul’s expungement application sighted by Malaysiakini, he seeks the removal of Paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, as well as Paragraph 10 with its sub-paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of the Statement of Claim in Yusoff's suit against him (Tunku Nashrul).

“The plaintiff’s (Yusoff) political stunt would confuse the court and cause the claim (Yusoff’s suit against Tunku Nashrul) and the proceedings before this court be politicised as well as seen to be disturbing (mengganggu) the course of court proceedings,” the court document stated.

Alongside Farhash, Tunku Nashrul is also being sued by Yusoff over an alleged brawl at Anwar’s office at Bukit Gasing in May last year. Yusoff filed two separate suits against Farhash and Tunku Nashrul.

Yusoff, who claimed to have at one point been Anwar's research assistant, came into the limelight last year, through the allegation of him being physically assaulted at Anwar’s office and last year's Dec 3 press conference, where he claimed he was sexually assaulted by Anwar.

On Jan 14 this year, the Attorney-General’s Chambers announced that no charges would be levelled against Anwar due to a lack of evidence.

On Jan 24, Farhash filed a defamation suit against Yusoff in relation to the Dec 3 press conference. - Mkini