High Court to decide if Bar Council’s challenge over Zahid's NFA should proceed

THE Attorney General’s Chambers has formally objected to the Malaysian Bar’s application seeking leave to commence judicial review proceedings against the decision to classify Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case as “no further action” (NFA).

Senior Federal Counsel Nurhafizza Azizan, appearing for the Attorney General’s Chambers, informed the High Court during case management proceedings before Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching that the government would oppose the application.

The Malaysian Bar, which filed the judicial review application naming the Attorney General and Ahmad Zahid as respondents, is seeking declarations that the decision made on 8 January was unlawful, null and void, and that the Attorney General had acted beyond his legal powers in ordering the NFA classification.

Earlier this year, the Attorney General’s Chambers announced that no further action would be taken against Ahmad Zahid over 47 charges involving criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering linked to Yayasan Akalbudi after reviewing the entirety of the evidence and newly obtained materials.

In its earlier statement, the AGC said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had conducted further detailed investigations, including into the source of funds, methods of acquisition and the use of the foundation’s funds.

Meanwhile, Nurhafizza told the court that the AGC would be filing an application for leave to appeal at the Federal Court against the Court of Appeal’s 7 May ruling, which allowed the Malaysian Bar’s appeal concerning the prosecution’s earlier decision to discontinue proceedings against Ahmad Zahid.

The Court of Appeal had ordered the matter to be returned to the High Court for substantive judicial review proceedings.

Counsel Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, appearing for Ahmad Zahid, said his client would also be filing a similar application before the Federal Court.

“Therefore, we seek for these judicial review proceedings (concerning the NFA) to be stayed until the parties return to court with an update on the status of the Federal Court proceedings,” Bernama reported him saying.

The High Court subsequently fixed 30 June to determine whether the Malaysian Bar’s leave application should proceed or remain suspended pending the disposal of the Federal Court appeals. - May 21, 2026