Latest news with #publictrust
Malay Mail
a day ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Isham Jalil awaits July 1 contempt ruling over judiciary remarks on Najib's SRC, 1MDB trials
KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — 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. High Court judge K. Muniandy fixed the date after hearing submissions in the committal proceedings filed by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), according to New Straits Times. Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam argued, '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 Isham's comments posed a real risk of eroding public trust in the justice system. Isham's lawyer Tan Sri Azizan Harun contended that the statements were not made with the intent to bring the court into disrepute. Azizan also said the AGC failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that his client's actions amounted to contempt. He added that the grounds raised during the hearing differed from those stated during the initial application, leaving Isham unclear on how to mount a proper defence. '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,' Azizan said. He questioned why Isham could not express views similar to those raised by Datuk Seri Najib Razak's lawyers during court proceedings. The AGC filed the application on December 28, 2023, based on Isham's remarks in an interview titled 'Townhall For Justice: Keadilan Sebenarnya Untuk Siapa? (Who is Justice Really For?)' The interview, which included criticism of Najib's corruption trial and appeal related to 1MDB and SRC International Sdn Bhd, was posted on the Facebook page of The Malaya Post on September 30, 2023.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Guernsey States 'faces trust challenge' in revenue service
A director at an accountancy firm says the States of Guernsey faces a challenge to build public trust in the revenue follows the States' decision to axe a contract with IT infrastructure company Agilisys by the end of July - halfway through its 10-year of accountancy firm TCS Guernsey, Tim Chilestone, said: "The trust of the public in the revenue service is very, very low. That's the biggest task they have making the public trust them again."Policy and Resources Committee said the decision to terminate the contract was unanimous and in the "best interests of the States, and the wider community". Mr Chilestone said people had faced difficulties finding out said: "A lot of people are losing track of where they are... Do they actually owe the revenue service any money? Does the revenue service owe them?"Mr Chilestone said the system made it easy for people to make minor mistakes, especially for those who conducted their own bookkeeping. Agilisys signed a £200m contract for the delivery of the majority of States IT services in Group was in the tender process for the revenue service contract alongside Group CEO and chairman Robert Sillers said "it's obviously important for them [the States] to get it right going forward". For any future contracts Mr Chilestone said it was important the States was clear about what it wanted to be said: "If they make a mistake, cause delays, overruns or extra costs then that cost needs to be borne by the company, not by the taxpayer."The whole point of using commercial external entities to do this kind of work instead of just recruiting in-house, is to reduce the risk to the States and therefore the taxpayer - and with Agilisys it doesn't feel like they've done that."I'm optimistic now they have the opportunity to resolve those issues but I'm also a little cautious. Will they actually achieve that?"Agilisys refused to comment.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Chicago alderwoman threatens legal action against colleague amid war of words over Israeli embassy shooting
Chicago Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) is threatening legal action against fellow Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), amid a war of words tied to last week's deadly shooting of two Israeli Embassy workers in Washington, D.C. Lopez is standing behind comments and social media posts related to the shooting, but Rodriguez Sanchez has said they are inaccurate, dangerous, and violate the public trust. Her attorney has sent Lopez a cease and desist order, and has threatened legal action if he doesn't comply. In the hours after it was revealed the accused gunman in last week's deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. is from Chicago, some Chicago leaders began to weigh in. Among them was Lopez, who shared a post on his aldermanic X account, writing "birds of a feather" and circling faces in a group shot of United Working Families, a group that helps promote Black and Brown political candidates. Those faces included Rodriguez Sanchez, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez. The photo had lines drawn on it pointing to an individual in the middle, who was later proven not to be the D.C. shooting suspect. Instead it was a former aide to Rodriguez Sanchez, Chris Poulos. "It was really nerve-wracking to see Chris in that picture, his face circled, and the sort of insinuation that this person was a murderer," Rodriguez Sanchez said. United Working Families asked Lopez to take that post down, but he has refused. Instead, the next day he posed, "Happy Friday Chicago - let's make it a great one, unless you stand with radicalized terrorists and the politicians that enable, uplift & defend them." On Tuesday, in a cease and desist letter, lawyers for Rodriguez Sanchez said his comments and decision to not remove them have "caused direct harm, including endangering her and her staff's safety. It also constitutes defamation in violation of Illinois law." And about the gunman, her attorney said: "He has no known connection to the Alderwoman and has never been a member or volunteer of 33d Ward Working Families." Rodriguez Sanchez's attorney has demanded Lopez immediately take down any social media posts falsely linking the alderwoman to the accused gunman, "and immediately cease making similar false statements." "You have shamefully and carelessly continued to put a private citizen in harms way by misidentifying him as an alleged murderer. You have recklessly exploited the tragic murders of Ms. Millgram and Mr. Lischinsky by using them as a platform to repeat falsehoods about Ald. Rodriguez Sanchez, endangering her and her staff," attorney Caryn Lederer wrote. "As a public servant, your deliberate spread of misinformation is a violation of public trust and the responsibilities of your office. It also constitutes defamation under Illinois law." But Lopez insists he has nothing to apologize for. He said, while others made the leap that the photo connected politicians to the shooter, he insisted he never did. "I simply said that those individuals were birds of a feather. If you and I are part of a same group and we take a picture, we are birds of a feather. It is not my fault people don't understand what the meaning of that is," Lopez said. In the hours after the shooting, Lopez also went on AM 560 and said, "There's some back and forth as to whether or not the individual was actually the terrorist, or if that was just Rossana's former campaign chairman/chief of staff taking one for the team to say that it's not him and that they're not sitting with the terrorist." Lopez said he has consulted with his lawyers, and he feels he has no reason to take down any of his social media posts. To be clear, the person in the photo Lopez shared on X is not the accused D.C. shooter, and there is no evidence that suspect has any ties to Rodriguez Sanchez.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Public roles not ‘political souvenirs', think tank tells PM
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday that political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals do not constitute an abuse of power. PETALING JAYA : A think tank today cautioned that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's justification of political appointments as rewards for party service sends a dangerous message. In a statement, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the prime minister was effectively saying that public roles could be handed out 'like political souvenirs rather than earned through merit and competence'. 'Political appointments are not favours to be exchanged. They are positions of public trust that carry real responsibility. 'Whether or not appointees come from political backgrounds, all such appointments must be based on merit, integrity, and professional experience. 'Only through a transparent and performance-driven process can we ensure that our public institutions are led by individuals who can serve the people effectively,' its CEO Aira Azhari said. Speaking at the PKR national congress on Saturday, Anwar said political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals did not constitute an abuse of power. He said such appointments were a 'reward' that individuals deserved for their service and contributions to the success of the political party that eventually formed the government. Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh praised Anwar for his remarks, saying on Sunday that the government finally 'understood' Barisan Nasional's way of doing things. However, IDEAS said that state-owned enterprises carried significant fiscal risk, and that even a handful of poorly governed institutions could cause serious economic damage. It said appointing capable, ethical, and experienced directors was not just good practice, but an economic necessity. 'While there are political realities the prime minister must deal with, transparency, accountability and good governance are not principles that can be compromised,' Aira said.
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
5 years after the murder of George Floyd, how do police rebuild community trust?
Adel Gamar, a University of B.C. business professor and an adviser on former U.S. president Barack Obama's task force on 21st-century policing, says that police officials need to heed marginalized groups' pushback in order to build public trust. He spoke to CBC's On The Coast five years after the murder of U.S. man George Floyd kicked off a widespread reckoning on the role of police in society.
