Latest news with #TommyThomas
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Court reserves judgment in Tommy Thomas's appeal to recuse judge
Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas's lawyer argued that High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain was biased and had shown prejudgment when she dismissed his client's application to strike out the suit. PUTRAJAYA : The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in former attorney-general Tommy Thomas's appeal to disqualify a High Court judge from hearing a malicious prosecution lawsuit filed by former minister Shahrir Samad. The three-member bench, led by Justice Supang Lian and comprising Justices Faizah Jamaludin and Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin, said it would consider both written and oral submissions. A case management has been scheduled for June 12 to fix a date for the decision. Thomas's lawyer Alan Adrian Gomez argued that High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain was biased and had shown prejudgment when she dismissed his client's application to strike out the suit. He claimed the judge relied on Thomas's memoir, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness, to suggest that Thomas had pressured the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate Shahrir. 'Thomas will not be accorded a fair trial as there is a breach of natural justice,' he added. 'Thomas only asked MACC investigators to complete the probe expeditiously,' Gomez said, adding that while Thomas approved Shahrir's prosecution, it was his successor, Idrus Harun, who decided to proceed with the trial. Gomez also took issue with the judge's remark in her judgment that Thomas, before becoming attorney-general in June 2018, had helped topple the Barisan Nasional government. 'BN was voted out in the 14th general election,' he said. In response, Shahrir's lawyer Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin argued that the recusal bid was baseless and made only after the strike-out application failed. He said a judge cannot be disqualified simply for making adverse rulings and noted that judges routinely dismiss strike-out applications but still go on to hear the full case if the plaintiff had an arguable case. He said the judge, in this case, wanted the trial to proceed as there was a prima facie case for malicious prosecution. 'The trial should proceed so that the truth can be tested through cross-examination,' Firoz said. He also highlighted that an MACC officer testified in Shahrir's money laundering trial that the investigation was incomplete when charges were filed. On Jan 5, 2023, High Court judge Jamil Hussin acquitted Shahrir of failing to declare RM1 million received from former prime minister Najib Razak to the tax authorities after the prosecution decided not to continue the case. Thomas filed the recusal application on Aug 26, 2023, alleging that Roz Mawar made baseless findings inconsistent with the lawsuit and evidence. Shahrir opposed the application, arguing that dissatisfaction with a ruling was not grounds for recusal. On July 3 last year, the judge dismissed Thomas's attempt to strike out the lawsuit. Shahrir, a former Johor Bahru MP, filed the suit in December 2022, naming Thomas, former MACC chief Latheefa Koya, MACC and the government as defendants. The suit centres on a RM1 million cheque from Najib, said to be intended for housing project restoration in Larkin, Johor. Thomas, who was attorney-general from June 2018 to February 2020, denies any abuse of power and says prosecution decisions were made only after reviewing investigation papers from relevant agencies. He resigned in February 2020, while Shahrir's trial began in July 2022.
Malaysiakini
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Hannah Thomas on Aussie polls, govt failure, voter frustration
INTERVIEW | Hannah Thomas, whose father is former attorney-general Tommy Thomas, ran in the Australian election earlier this month against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his seat of Grayndler, Sydney. Even though she lost and Albanese became the only Australian prime minister in decades to win a second consecutive term, she successfully won about one-third of the population's preference on the Greens party ticket. She ran a progressive campaign that promoted...
Malay Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Hannah Thomas, daughter of ex-AG Tommy Thomas, contrasts Malaysian and Australian politics, highlights Palestine solidarity and warns of rising extremism
SYDNEY, May 17 — Australian Greens candidate Hannah Thomas said voter frustration was growing due to governments failing to address poverty, rising inequality and global conflicts. Thomas, who contested against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the recent federal election, told Malaysiakini that both major parties were out of touch with how Australians felt about key issues, including the war in Gaza. 'I think the Australian government is extremely out of touch with how people actually feel about what's going on in Gaza, especially in progressive areas like Grayndler, where I live and where I ran,' she said. 'People can see that bombing schools and hospitals, and refugee camps, is wrong, and slaughtering children is wrong, and targeting journalists is wrong.' Thomas, who is the daughter of former Malaysian attorney general Tommy Thomas, ran on a progressive platform focused on Palestine solidarity, refugee rights and the environment. She secured about one-third of the constituency's preferences in Grayndler, a multicultural seat in inner Sydney. Speaking about her experience as a woman of colour and a migrant candidate, Thomas said Parliament did not reflect the diversity of the Australian population. 'Parliament's full of mostly white, rich people, and I think people responded well to having a fresh face,' she said. Commenting on the global rise in extremism and right-wing sentiment, Thomas said liberal centrist governments had failed to protect working-class interests. 'People have gotten poorer, lives have gotten harder, and in those conditions, the far right and extremism thrive,' she said. She added that Donald Trump's presidency in the United States served as a warning. 'I think what could be a turning point and a circuit breaker is Trump's presidency, because people are seeing in real time what a disaster those extreme right-wing politics are,' she said. Thomas said she admired Malaysia's political engagement, particularly among youth, but noted that Australia had a stronger focus on policy debates. She praised politicians such as Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman and movements like Muda for encouraging youth participation. Asked about the greatest failure a government could make, Thomas pointed to child poverty and housing inequality. 'This is an extremely wealthy country, and I think something like one in six children lives in poverty. That's an absolute failure,' she said, as quoted by Malaysiakini. She also cited the climate crisis and Australia's unresolved relationship with its Indigenous peoples as major shortcomings.
Malaysiakini
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Hannah Thomas on Aussie polls, govt failure, voter frustration
INTERVIEW | Hannah Thomas, whose father is former attorney-general Tommy Thomas, ran in the Australian election earlier this month against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his seat of Grayndler, Sydney. Even though she lost and Albanese became the only Australian prime minister in decades to win a second consecutive term, she successfully won about one-third of the population's preference on the Greens party ticket. She ran a progressive campaign that promoted...
Straits Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Malaysia Edition: Why a fringe party should worry PM Anwar
Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition helps you connect the dots on the biggest stories playing out in Malaysia every week. Sign up here to get the newsletter in your inbox. It's election fever in Singapore and Australia, but Malaysia has somehow found a way to get involved. First, a couple of Parti Islam SeMalaysia officials had their social media posts blocked in Singapore, after being accused of attempting to influence the city state's polls on May 3. Then there's Hannah Thomas, the daughter of Malaysia's former attorney-general Tommy Thomas, who is contesting against caretaker prime minister Anthony Albanese in Australia's federal election on the same day. Closer to home, PM Anwar Ibrahim's ally Barisan Nasional easily won last weekend's by-election in Perak state. But what he should look closely at is the vote share surge of Parti Sosialis Malaysia, which could signal unhappiness with his Pakatan Harapan coalition. Read also about how Malaysia is setting aside RM600 million to restore heritage sites of its capital Kuala Lumpur. This includes refurbishing Carcosa Seri Negara, the old seat of the British colonial administration that was featured in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. Follow ST's coverage as we continue to bring you the latest developments.
