KUALA LUMPUR – The Federal Court has thrown out bids by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to remove Gopal Sri Ram as ad hoc deputy public prosecutor (DPP) in their corruption trials.
The three-person bench reached a unanimous decision this morning, saying that there were no merits for the apex court to hear in Najib’s appeal and Sri Ram’s appointment has been addressed in other appeals, reported Malaysiakini.
Meanwhile, the same bench today rejected an appeal application by Shafee on Sri Ram’s appointment as ad hoc DPP in the ongoing trial in which the lawyer is accused of laundering RM9.5 million.
Zawawi was joined by Datuk P Nallini and Datuk Vernon Ong on the bench.
Shafee was also Najib’s counsel today.
Last November 8, Najib and Shafee lost their appeals in the Court of Appeal to disqualify Sri Ram as ad hoc DPP in their respective cases.
On August 28, 2020, the high court here dismissed the judicial review applications by Najib and Shafee to remove former Federal Court judge Sri Ram as ad hoc DPP.
Najib filed the judicial review application to disqualify Sri Ram in his 1MDB-linked cases in December 2018.
The duo sought a court order to revoke Sri Ram’s appointment or recuse him, saying that his letter of appointment issued by then attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas was invalid.
They also want a declaration that there was a conflict of interest in Sri Ram’s appointment and requested an order to prohibit him from leading the prosecution team in all of their cases, including corruption, abuse of power and money laundering. – The Vibes, May 23, 2022
