PUTRAJAYA – The Federal Court has rescheduled to January 14 next year the hearing of an appeal by Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, who failed to set aside the leave obtained by former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas to initiate committal proceedings against him.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar told Bernama that the hearing was initially fixed for today.
On May 13, Lokman lost his appeal at the Court of Appeal to set aside the leave obtained by Thomas, the then attorney-general, to commence committal proceedings against the former for allegedly intimidating a witness in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial.
A three-man panel led by Justice Datuk Yaacob Md Sam ruled that the high court did not make any error when allowing Thomas’ leave application to commence the contempt proceedings.
On January 14, high court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, dismissing Lokman’s application to set aside the leave obtained by Thomas, said the court is satisfied that the fact and nature of the alleged contempt have been sufficiently brought to the Umno man’s attention.
Sequerah granted leave to Thomas on October 22 last year to initiate committal proceedings against Lokman for acts of contempt of court, perpetrated on two occasions on September 25 last year.
Thomas, who was appointed by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on June 4, 2018 for a two-year term, replacing Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, resigned on February 29 this year.
He has sought an order for Lokman to be imprisoned or fined.
The former attorney-general said Lokman, on September 25 last year, uttered words during a video interview that constitute an express or implied threat against Amhari Efendi for having given evidence in Najib’s trial.
The same day, said Thomas, Lokman lodged a police report against Amhari over the evidence he gave during the trial. – Bernama, November 26, 2020
