KUALA LUMPUR – Politicians must read and understand the courts’ grounds of judgement instead of drawing their own conclusions on judges’ decisions, Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said today.
Berita Harian reported her speaking at a law conference today that many comments attacking the judiciary have been made of late out of pure sentiment, especially after the Federal Court upheld Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conviction and sentence for corruption.
She said it showed that those making these attacks did not read the court’s judgement nor did they take the trouble to understand the law.
“My personal view is, these comments are being made by those who don’t understand, who are showing their lack of understanding because they don’t read the reasons for the judges’ decision,” Berita Harian quoted her as saying.
“When you don’t read, you won’t understand. When you don’t understand, you’ll make inappropriate and irrelevant comments on the issue.
“Overall it can be said that they are based solely on sentiment without any understanding of the law and the judges’ reasons,” Tengku Maimun also said.
The chief justice had attended the 2nd National Litigation conference here this morning.
She was asked for her views on the attacks against the judiciary after the Federal Court’s decision on August 23, which sent former prime minister Najib straight to jail to begin his 12-year prison sentence. He also has to pay a RM210 million fine.
The high court’s guilty verdict in Najib’s graft case of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds had also been upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.
Tengku Maimun chaired the apex court’s five-person bench, which comprises Sabah and Sarawak chief judge Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Mary Lim Thiam Suan, and Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.
She and her husband became the target of threats on social media when the Federal Court began hearing Najib’s final appeal last month.
The court drew the ire of Najib’s supporters as his defence team tried but failed to get Tengku Maimun recused and for the appeal hearing to be adjourned based on new evidence against the high court judge who found Najib guilty in 2020.
The federal bench refused these applications and the court was accused of denying Najib a fair trial.
The Malaysian Bar has since issued several statements in support of the judiciary while also condemning the behaviour of Najib’s defence team, which was switched weeks before the final appeal hearing and then repeatedly said it did not have enough time to prepare the final submissions even though the hearing dates had been fixed earlier.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani has said that police are investigating the threats against Tengku Maimun. – The Vibes, September 10, 2022
