Latest news with #AhmadTerrirudinSalleh
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-AG Terrirudin may be subpoenaed over Najib's addendum bid, says lawyer
Senior counsel Shafee Abdullah speaking to the media at the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya, after the Federal Court hearing today. PUTRAJAYA : Senior counsel Shafee Abdullah said today former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh could be subpoenaed to testify in Najib Razak's upcoming judicial review hearing on the royal addendum at the High Court. Shafee said they might call several witnesses, including Terrirudin and other officers, to give evidence either through affidavits or in person. 'We have to do a very tight adduction of the facts during the hearing of the judicial review,' he told reporters after the Federal Court ruling, which affirmed the Jan 6 majority decision of the Court of Appeal allowing Najib to adduce additional evidence and ordering the High Court to hear his judicial review application. He said they were considering using discovery and interrogatories in the proceedings. 'We can make requests for discovery, for an immediate show of where the addendum is, and what happened to the addendum that has been delayed for a year and a half. 'We can (also) interrogate the other side to tell us what truly happened, why the addendum has not surfaced for such a long time,' he said. Earlier today, a three-member bench led by Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim ruled that Najib could present fresh evidence on the supplementary addendum. Najib is currently in Kajang prison serving the jail sentence meted out for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. He was initially sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million, which he began serving on Aug 23, 2022. However, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced his sentence to six years and the fine to RM50 million in January 2024. He later claimed to have learned of the addendum's existence, which purportedly allows him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
CNA
19-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Malaysia's Anwar says new Chief Justice appointment clears him of interference claims
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the recent appointment of a new Chief Justice has cleared him of any interference claims, including speculation that former attorney general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh was eyed for the role. Anwar on Friday (Jul 18) acknowledged the speculation but said they were baseless and stemmed from unnamed lawyers whom he accused of 'politicking', Malay Mail reported. 'The complaints and grievances that were hurled at me for weeks, the criticisms, the slander, but now, it turns out that those claims were completely off the mark,' Anwar told reporters. 'There were names being thrown around, I can say it, including a former attorney general who served with distinction and is now a Federal Court judge. 'However, because he still has many years ahead of him, his name was never proposed in the first place. His name was not brought up by me, nor was it discussed by the Conference of Rulers.' Anwar had been battling growing public pressure over allegations that his government was interfering in the senior appointments of leadership in the judiciary and that he was at odds with certain members of the Judicial Appointment Commission (JAC). There was widespread speculation among lawyers and retired jurists that the Conference of Rulers had come to some agreement on the appointment of candidates proposed by the premier. Anwar said he hoped the matter would now be put to rest, and stressed that he had never interfered in the judicial process, nor exercise any prerogative to remove judges, Malay Mail reported. According to The Star, Anwar said any delays in announcing the new appointments stemmed from the lengthy appointment process. 'What crisis is there?" said Anwar. "I did not expel any judges, and I did not refer any judges to the tribunal. 'I did not interfere in any decisions, nor did I give any judges orders, unlike previous administrations. "This is because the independence of the judiciary must be upheld,' he added. Malaysia's King Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim on Friday officially consented to the promotion of two judges nominated by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The Chief Registrar of the Federal Court said in a statement issued on early Friday morning that Justice Wan Farid Wan Salleh and Justice Abu Bakar Jais have been appointed as Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal respectively. A former politician from the United Malays National Organisation, Wan Farid retired from politics and was appointed a judge to the High Court in August 2018. He was promoted to the Court of Appeal in November last year. Abu Bakar was appointed a judge to the High Court in July 2013, before being promoted to the Federal Court two years ago. This follows the retirement of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and President of the Court of Appeal Abang Iskandar Abang Ismail earlier this month, after both justices reached their retirement age of 66. The statement added that Justice Azizah Nawawi will also be taking over as Chief Judge for the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak from Justice Abdul Rahman Selbi, who is set to retire. The new judges will be sworn in at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on Jul 28. Growing public anger was largely due to widespread speculation that Anwar was considering Terrirudin for higher office, placing the latter at the centre of the political storm whipped up by the crisis in the judiciary. Last weekend, purported leaked confidential minutes of a JAC meeting in May alleged that his conduct as a judge raised serious questions about his suitability for high office in the judiciary. Anwar also addressed the spread of misinformation, highlighting that rumours of Terrirudin being proposed as a top judge were flawed and politically motivated by some lawyers, The Star reported. 'It was disseminated among several senior lawyers who are playing politics. I don't believe this is a view represented by all,' he said, as quoted by The Star. He emphasised the importance of the judiciary as a pillar of a sovereign, independent country practising parliamentary democracy.
Malay Mail
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Anwar says new CJ appointment clears him of judicial interference claim
PUTRAJAYA, July 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the appointment of a new Chief Justice has vindicated him over claims he wanted former attorney general Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh named to the role. The PM acknowledged the speculation but insisted that this was baseless and stemmed from unnamed members of the legal fraternity whom he accused of 'politicking'. 'The complaints and grievances that were hurled at me for weeks, the criticisms, the slander, but now, it turns out that those claims were completely off the mark,' he told reporters after performing Friday prayers at Surau Al-Istiqlal in Presint 14 here. 'There were names being thrown around, I can say it, including a former attorney general who served with distinction and is now a Federal Court judge. 'However, because he still has many years ahead of him, his name was never proposed in the first place. His name was not brought up by me, nor was it discussed by the Conference of Rulers.' Anwar then said he hoped that the matter would now be put to rest. The Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court announced yesterday that Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh will be sworn in as the country's 17th Chief Justice, succeeding Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who retired on July 2. MORE TO COME
Free Malaysia Today
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Prisons dept was okay with Najib filing report, says Shafee
Lawyer Shafee Abdullah said the prisons department needed permission from the home minister for Najib Razak to file a police report in person. KUALA LUMPUR : Najib Razak's lawyer claims that the prisons department would have allowed the former prime minister to file a police report over the royal addendum issue if home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had given permission. However, Shafee Abdullah said that multiple letters for permission from the minister went unanswered, forcing him to help lodge the report on behalf of his client. 'The prison authorities are generous, they had no objections to Najib filing a report himself. Unfortunately, they needed permission from their superior, which is the home minister. 'We wrote to him multiple times but there was no reply,' he told a press conference at the lobby of the court complex here today. Earlier this week, Shafee lodged a police report against former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh for allegedly 'deliberately misleading' the High Court that the royal addendum was speculative and based on hearsay evidence. He lodged the report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters. Shafee claimed that Terrirudin had committed an offence under Section 209 of the Penal Code, which relates to dishonestly making a false claim before a court. He also accused the ex-AG of committing an offence under Section 204 of the Penal Code by hiding a document with the intention of preventing it from being used as evidence in court. Last month, Najib filed an application to initiate contempt proceedings against Terrirudin, who is now a Federal Court judge. His legal team claimed that Terrirudin, while serving as the AG, failed to reveal the former king's royal addendum allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest. During a hearing in January, Shafee told the Court of Appeal that the addendum was sent by the Pahang palace to Terrirudin on Jan 29, 2024.
Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
August hearing for Najib's contempt proceedings against ex-AG
Najib Razak is pursuing contempt proceedings against former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh over the latter's alleged failure to reveal the existence of a royal decree allowing him to be placed under house arrest. KUALA LUMPUR : The High Court has set Aug 19 to hear Najib Razak's application to cite former attorney-general (AG) Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh for contempt of court. The former prime minister wants the court to hold Terrirudin in contempt for his alleged failure to reveal the existence of a royal decree, made by the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the end of his tenure, placing Najib under house arrest. Justice K Muniandy said the present application, filed on May 21, was not caught by an earlier ruling halting all proceedings in the case pending the disposal of the current AG's appeal to the Federal Court. Justice Hayatul Akmal Aziz, who previously presided over the case, issued the order on April 28. 'The judge (Hayatul) has qualified herself to say that she is leaving it to the discretion of the succeeding judge. 'This court is bound by the earlier order which reflects the intention of the parties and the order. 'Therefore, the earlier order prevails, but it does not include the present contempt application,' he said. Muniandy took over the matter from Hayatul, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal on May 20. During submissions earlier this morning, senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan called for the court not to fix the application for hearing, arguing that it was caught by Hayatul's stay order. In reply, senior lawyer Shafee Abdullah contended that contempt proceedings were independent of the suit, and therefore not subjected to the order. 'So, a contempt application is definitely in a class of its own and it cannot be included within the so-called stay ordered by the court,' he said. On July 28, 2020, the High Court convicted Najib of seven charges and sentenced him to 12 years in prison and a fine of RM210 million. His subsequent appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court were dismissed. On Feb 2 last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that former king Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had halved Najib's prison sentence to six years, and reduced his fine to RM50 million. However, it made no mention of any decree allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. On Jan 6, Najib obtained leave from the Court of Appeal to begin judicial review proceedings to enforce the former king's decree. Najib is currently serving his reduced jail term at Kajang prison.
