Isham Jalil to know contempt of court ruling on July 1
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Umno information chief Isham Jalil will know on July 1 whether he will be held in contempt of court over remarks allegedly undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
Judge K. Muniandy fixed the date after hearing lengthy submissions from both parties in committal proceedings initiated by the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) against Isham today.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam who appeared for the A-GC submitted that Isham's statements posed a real risk of undermining public confidence in the administration of justice.
"The respondent has tarnished the judiciary's reputation when he questioned the actions and decision of the Federal Court and the High Court involving both 1MDB and SRC International criminal cases," he said.
Meanwhile, Isham's lawyer Tan Sri Azizan Harun argued that the statements were never intended to bring the court into disrepute and that the A-GC failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that his client's actions amounted to contempt of court.
Azizan, who is also the former Dewan Rakyat speaker, said the grounds raised during the committal hearing were different from those presented when applying for leave to start the proceedings.
This, he said, left his client unsure of how to prepare a proper defence.
He said the courts must be strong enough to withstand criticism and should not overreact, especially in today's social media era where everyone is free to express their opinions.
He argued that some of the points Isham raised had been brought up by Najib's own lawyers in court, questioning why his client could not express similar views outside the courtroom.
The application was filed on Dec 28, 2023, following Isham's remarks in an interview titled "Townhall For Justice: Keadilan Sebenarnya Untuk Siapa?" (Justice: Who Is It Really For?).
In his remarks, Isham had criticised the corruption trial and appeal involving his former boss, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and SRC International Sdn Bhd cases.
The recorded interview, which discussed the trial and appeal proceedings in the SRC and 1MDB cases, was posted on the Facebook page of "The Malaya Post" on Sept 30, 2023.
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