Zahid seeks apex court leave to appeal ruling favouring Malaysian Bar

 

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has filed an application with the Federal Court seeking leave to appeal a recent Court of Appeal ruling, which had allowed the Malaysian Bar to challenge the prosecution's decision to halt all further proceedings against him in the Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.

Zahid has submitted five questions of law in support of his leave application to appeal pursuant to Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.

His counsel Hamidi Noh confirmed this following proceedings conducted via e-Review before senior assistant registrar Faten Nuradilla Jamil.

“The court has set June 9 for further case management. We have informed the court that we filed a motion for leave to appeal to the Federal Court yesterday, regarding the leave granted by the Court of Appeal.

“The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) also informed the court that it will be filing an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision and will be submitting an application to stay proceedings at the High Court,” he said.

On May 7, the Court of Appeal allowed the Bar’s application to challenge the AG’s decision on Sept 4, 2023, to halt proceedings against Zahid, ruling that the application was not frivolous and raised arguable points of law that warranted a full hearing.

The court also granted leave for the Bar to commence judicial review against the AG’s impugned decision, thereby setting aside the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision dated June 27, 2024.

The High Court had dismissed the Bar’s application for leave to initiate judicial review proceedings, ruling that the application failed to meet the requisite threshold for judicial review. The Bar subsequently filed the present appeal.

The Bar is also seeking a declaration from the court that the decision made by then-High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah (now a Federal Court judge) to grant Zahid a DNAA on 47 criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering charges related to the Yayasan Akalbudi funds is null and void.

The High Court decided to grant the DNAA after the prosecution informed it that the AGC intended to halt proceedings against Zahid in order to scrutinise new evidence.

- Bernama