DAP leaders condemn attacks on SRC judges

Several DAP leaders have condemned attacks against judges involved in the SRC International case against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

They said such attacks are aimed at undermining confidence in the judiciary and legislative system.

“The judiciary is an important institution in the Federal Constitution’s framework, and all parties should ensure that it is free from any interference and political intervention,” they said in a joint statement.

The statement was issued by DAP central executive committee members Syahredzan Johan, Young Syefura Othman, and Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.

They said attacks against the judges show that Umno would not hesitate to target respected Malay-Muslim judges for their political gain, though they also said that a judge’s race and religion have nothing to do with their ability and integrity.

“We want to emphasise that although the people are free to criticise the decision of any court, slander and threats against any judge is absolutely unacceptable,” they added.

This came after a series of attacks against the judges following the Federal Court decision on Tuesday to uphold Najib’s conviction.

Najib began serving his 12-year jail sentence that day. He was also slapped with a RM210 million fine, or another five years imprisonment in default.

Among others, a website claimed that Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat (above) - who chaired the Federal Court panel - and her husband have been blacklisted by the Kelantan palace. The Kelantan palace has dismissed the claim as baseless.

Death threats have also been made against the chief judge. Police have arrested a 30-year-old man in relation to the case.

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali

Meanwhile, the DAP trio also took aim at Umno’s secretary-general for sharing an article purportedly insinuating that the case’s trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali was a “newbie judge”.

“In actuality, it is public knowledge that Nazlan’s verdict in the case was careful and precise, and affirmed by three Court of Appeal and five Federal Court judges,” they said. - Mkini