SEVERAL high-profile court proceedings are expected to command national attention this week, with cases involving a former minister, senior businessmen and a social media influencer scheduled before the Federal Court and Sessions Courts.
Proceedings begin on Monday at the Federal Court, which will hear the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of Samirah Muzaffar and two teenagers in the murder case of former Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan.
The hearing is fixed for 5, 7 and 9 January 2026.
Previously, the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal after finding that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient, citing weaknesses including issues surrounding the cause of the fire and the analysis of petrol traces.
On 6 January, former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir is scheduled to testify in his defamation suit against influencer and businessman Datuk Aliff Syukri Kamaruzaman.
Abdul Kadir alleges that statements made by Aliff on Instagram concerning debts amounting to tens of millions of ringgit had damaged his reputation.
He is seeking damages, an injunction and a public apology. Aliff, meanwhile, is defending the statements on the grounds of justification, arguing that they relate to a joint investment.
Attention will then shift to the Sessions Court on 8 January, when a corruption case involving businessman Albert Tei (pic) and the former senior political secretary to the prime minister, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, comes up for mention.
Both men have been charged in connection with a bribery case involving RM64,924, allegedly linked to the approval of a mineral exploration licence in Sabah.
They pleaded not guilty and were released on bail on 8 December.
On the same day, the Sessions Court will also hear the re-mention of a RM145.5 million criminal breach of trust case involving Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd director Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed, linked to the MEX II highway project.
The case has been transferred from the Shah Alam Sessions Court to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to be consolidated with four other charges. Abu Sahid’s lawyer, Datuk Jasbeer Singh, did not object to the transfer.
Abu Sahid has maintained his plea of not guilty, and his RM1.5 million bail has been retained.
Together, the cases are expected to place the spotlight on Malaysia’s courts throughout the week, highlighting legal battles involving some of the country’s most recognisable public figures. - January 5, 2025
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