High Court fixes June 14, 2027 for Bar bid to revive Zahid graft case

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur has set June 14, 2027, for the case management of the Malaysian Bar's judicial review application challenging the decision to discontinue the corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The date was chosen following the Federal Court's decision on Oct 8 to allow Ahmad Zahid and the Attorney-General to appeal a Court of Appeal ruling that had previously permitted the Malaysian Bar to initiate the judicial review.

Both parties are awaiting the outcome of the appeal before proceeding with the High Court hearing.

The judicial review aims to nullify the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) previously granted to Ahmad Zahid on charges related to Yayasan Akalbudi.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — The High Court today fixed June 14, 2027, for case management of the Malaysian Bar’s judicial review application challenging the prosecution’s decision to discontinue the Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case involving Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Judge S. Indra Nehru set the date after lawyer Abhilaash Subramaniam, representing the Malaysian Bar, informed the court that Ahmad Zahid and the Attorney-General (AG) had obtained leave from the Federal Court on Oct 8 to appeal against an earlier Court of Appeal ruling.

“We therefore request that the judicial review hearing at the High Court be held after the Federal Court appeal proceedings are concluded,” Abhilaash said during case management.

The court also directed that the next case management be conducted via e-review before a High Court deputy registrar.

Abhilaash also informed the court that no date had been fixed for the substantive appeal hearing, adding that preparations, including compiling the appeal records and exchanging written submissions, could take several months.

Federal counsel Safiyyah Omar, representing the AG, agreed to the proposal, while Ahmad Zahid’s lawyer, Datuk Guok Ngek Seong, raised no objection.

On Oct 8, a three-member Federal Court panel led by Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Seri Hashim Hamzah granted Ahmad Zahid and the AG leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision allowing the Malaysian Bar to initiate judicial review proceedings.

Hashim, sitting with Federal Court judges Datuk Nordin Hassan and Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, ruled that the case raised novel constitutional questions of public importance requiring clarification and a definitive ruling by the Federal Court.

On May 7, the Court of Appeal granted the Malaysian Bar leave to challenge the AG’s decision on Sept 4, 2023, to discontinue proceedings against Ahmad Zahid.

The appellate court overturned a June 27, 2024, High Court ruling that had dismissed the Malaysian Bar’s application for leave to commence judicial review.

Ahmad Zahid, named as the proposed second respondent in the judicial review, subsequently applied for leave to appeal to the Federal Court on May 25. AG Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar filed a separate application.

In its judicial review application, the Malaysian Bar seeks a High Court declaration that the decision by then High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, now a Federal Court judge, to grant Ahmad Zahid a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering linked to Yayasan Akalbudi was null and void.

The High Court granted the DNAA after the prosecution informed the court that the AG Chambers intended to discontinue the proceedings to examine new evidence. — Bernama

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吉隆坡高等法院已将 2027 年 6 月 14 日定为马来西亚律师公会司法审查申请的案件管理日期，该申请旨在挑战撤销对副首相拿督斯里阿末扎希博士的贪污案的决定。

10 月 8 日，联邦法院裁定允许艾哈迈德·扎希德和总检察长对上诉法院此前允许马来西亚律师公会启动司法审查的裁决提出上诉，之后便选定了这一日期。

双方都在等待上诉结果，然后再进行高等法院的听证。

司法审查旨在撤销此前对艾哈迈德·扎希德就与阿卡尔布迪基金会有关的指控所作出的非无罪释放判决（DNAA）。

吉隆坡，10 月 12 日讯——高等法院今日将马来西亚律师公会司法审查申请的案件管理日期定为 2027 年 6 月 14 日。该申请旨在挑战检方终止对副首相拿督斯里阿末扎希·哈米迪 (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) 的阿卡布迪基金会 (Yayasan Akalbudi) 贪污案的调查决定。

马来西亚律师公会的代表律师阿比拉什·苏布拉马尼亚姆向法庭通报，艾哈迈德·扎希德和总检察长已于 10 月 8 日获得联邦法院的许可，就上诉法院早前的裁决提出上诉。随后，法官 S. Indra Nehru 确定了开庭日期。

“因此，我们请求高等法院在联邦法院上诉程序结束后举行司法审查听证会，”阿比拉什在案件管理期间说道。

法院还指示，下一次案件管理应通过电子审查的方式，由高等法院副书记官进行。

阿比拉什还告知法庭，尚未确定实质性上诉听证会的日期，并补充说，准备工作，包括整理上诉记录和交换书面陈述，可能需要几个月的时间。

代表总检察长的联邦律师萨菲亚·奥马尔同意了该提议，而艾哈迈德·扎希德的律师拿督郭玉成没有提出异议。

10 月 8 日，由马来亚首席法官拿督斯里哈希姆·哈姆扎领导的三名联邦法院法官组成的小组批准了艾哈迈德·扎希德和总检察长对上诉法院允许马来西亚律师公会启动司法审查程序的裁决提出上诉。

哈希姆与联邦法院法官拿督诺丁·哈桑和拿督切·莫哈末·鲁兹玛·加扎利一起裁定，该案提出了具有公共重要性的新颖宪法问题，需要联邦法院予以澄清和最终裁决。

5月7日，上诉法院批准马来西亚律师公会就总检察长于2023年9月4日作出的终止对艾哈迈德·扎希德的诉讼程序的决定提出质疑。

上诉法院推翻了高等法院 2024 年 6 月 27 日的裁决，该裁决驳回了马来西亚律师公会提出的启动司法审查的申请。

被列为司法审查中第二被告的艾哈迈德·扎希德随后于 5 月 25 日向联邦法院申请上诉许可。总检察长丹斯里莫哈末·杜苏基·莫克塔尔另行提交了一份申请。

马来西亚律师公会在其司法审查申请中，请求高等法院宣布，时任高等法院法官拿督科林·劳伦斯·塞奎拉（现为联邦法院法官）对艾哈迈德·扎希德作出的不构成无罪释放（DNAA）的裁决无效。该裁决涉及艾哈迈德·扎希德与阿卡布迪基金会有关的 47 项刑事失信、贪污和洗钱指控。

高等法院在检方告知法院总检察署打算中止诉讼程序以审查新证据后，批准了撤销起诉的申请。——马新社

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预计九个州属、布城和纳闽将出现强降雨和大风天气，持续至下午6点。

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