KUALA LUMPUR – The discreet emergency meeting involving Umno’s top brass in Putrajaya yesterday evening concluded with no indication as to whether Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will cower to pressure over calls for snap polls, and intervene in the outcome of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conviction appeal at the Federal Court.
Several sources told The Vibes that the leaders from the top five party posts had left the prime minister’s official residence in Seri Perdana at about 10pm without speaking to reporters who were stationed there during the talks.
The two-hour meeting, which started around 8pm, was shrouded in secrecy with all parties keeping mum.
“The prime minister and other leaders had exited the complex from the gate of Seri Perdana’s Protocol Block to avoid the press,” a source said.
Information is scant as only the top five leaders, including Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, were spotted entering the complex starting 6pm.
Despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was not present during the meeting.
Instead, the party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is said to have attended the talks in Zahid’s stead, alongside Najib and another two top brass leaders, but this could not be verified at press time.
However, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan confirmed with The Vibes that he was not present in Seri Perdana but was attending a Barisan Nasional machinery gathering in Perak while the meeting was taking place.
A senior Umno leader told The Vibes that Ismail Sabri may want to call for early polls to put the issue to rest and consolidate himself.
“The ball is in the prime minister’s court and he will not interfere in the judicial process. Why should he? Both Najib and Zahid’s corruption cases strengthen his position politically,” said the source, adding that Ismail Sabri has the opportunity to reboot Umno by winning the general election.
“In fact, if he can be the leader who reforms Umno as a party stained by corruption.”
The talks at the official residence came after Zahid chaired a meeting with dozens of Umno division leaders, in an apparent bid to pressure Ismail Sabri to intervene in Najib’s final appeal against his SRC International conviction and to call for elections.
A total of 73 Umno division chiefs had yesterday morning asked that Ismail make a request to chief justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to allow a three-month extension of the verdict to allow Najib to engage new counsel after the withdrawal of his previous lawyers.
This comes amid attempts made by Najib’s defence team led by Hisyam Teh Poh Teik to obtain an extension to the trial at the Federal Court to allow them to adequately prepare and argue their case.
After failing in his bid, Hisyam also applied to discharge himself from the case, which was rejected by the court.
Najib subsequently discharged his solicitors from Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners, leaving Hisyam and two others – Low Wei Loke and Kee Wei Lon – as the sole remaining co-counsels.
The division chiefs, who were summoned by Zahid yesterday, had also called for Ismail Sabri to instruct the attorney-general to proceed with the investigations against appellate court Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali for alleged abuse of power and judicial bias.
They claim justice Nazlan, who had convicted Najib could be prejudiced, having worked for Maybank previously, as the bank is crucial in Najib’s SRC trial due to accounts that received the stolen funds.
Ismail Sabri had been said to be adamant not to interfere in the judicial process, constantly emphasising the doctrine of the separation of powers. – The Vibes, August 23, 2022
