PUTRAJAYA: Court of Appeal judge Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin has recused herself from hearing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against a High Court's dismissal of his application to strike out a lawsuit over the legality of his royal pardon for his sodomy conviction.
Following her recusal, the appeal hearing scheduled today before the Court of Appeal three-member bench has been put off.
Justice Nor Bee, who chaired the bench said in 2016 she had decided in the judicial review brought by Anwar and his family against the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur when she was a High Court judge then.
She said the issue on the justiciability of the decision of Pardons Board was cited in that case and a ruling was made, adding that she had dismissed Anwar's application for leave to commence the judicial review on the premise the subject matter was not justiciable.
She said in the present appeal, the person who successfully sought the pardon was Anwar.
“In the circumstances, in view of this development, I shall not be sitting for this case and a date will be fixed for a case management,” said Justice Nor Bee.
Justices S. Nantha Balan and Datuk Lee Heng Cheong were the other two judges presiding on the bench. The proceedings was conducted virtually.
Justice Nor Bee also said the stay of the hearing of the suit in the High Court to be continued until the appeal is disposed of.
Lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdullah who represented Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, who had filed the lawsuit against Anwar and the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, had sought for Justice Nor Bee's recusal.
However, Anwar's counsel Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram did not object to Justice Nor Bee presiding on the bench to hear the appeal.
On Sept 21 last year, the High Court dismissed both Anwar and the Pardons Board's application to strike out the lawsuit, after finding that Mohd Khairul, also a lawyer had locus standi to initiate the legal suit as he is a member of the public and a qualified person as lawyer.
The Port Dickson MP filed the striking out application among others, on grounds that Mohd Khairul Azam had no locus standi to file the originating summons and that it was frivolous, an embarrassment and abuse of the court process.
Mohd Khairul Azam, who filed the originating summons on Feb 26 last year, naming Pardons Board and Anwar as respondents, claimed that several unconstitutional actions had been taken to ensure that Anwar received a pardon which released him from prison following the 14th General Election.
He claimed that the pardon granted to Anwar by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was in contravention of Articles 42 (4) and (5) of the Federal Constitution in view of the fact that pardons granted by the Agong should be based on the advice of the Pardons Board which he (Mohd Khairul Azam) argued had not yet been formally formed following the General Election on May 9, 2018, and the formation of the new government.
Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomising his aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and the conviction and sentence were affirmed by the Federal Court on Feb 10, 2015.
Lawyer Datuk M. Reza Hassan also represented Mohd Khairul Azam, while lawyer J. Leela also appeared for Anwar. Senior federal counsel Suzana Atan appeared for the Pardons Board.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Thu Mar 18 2021
The Port Dickson MP filed the striking out application among others, on grounds that Mohd Khairul Azam had no locus standi to file the originating summons and that it was frivolous, an embarrassment and abuse of the court process.
Vokalis Dewa 19, Virzha kahwin wanita Arab
Salah seorang vokalis Dewa 19, Virzha mengakhiri zaman bujang pada usia 33 tahun.
Krisis iklim: Kanak-kanak antara paling terjejas - UNICEF
Apabila bencana alam berlaku, kanak-kanak lebih terdedah dan berpotensi mengalami kesan yang berpanjangan.
Raja Permaisuri Agong terima menghadap Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British ke Malaysia
Raja Permaisuri Agong Raja Zarith Sofiah hari ini berkenan menerima menghadap Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British ke Malaysia Ailsa Terry di Istana Negara.
Masyarakat Cina bersama meriahkan rumah terbuka UMNO Sandakan
Masyarakat Cina di sekitar Sandakan bwersama memeriahkan dan menikmati juadah di rumah terbuka Aidilfitri anjujran UMNO Sandakan.
Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo bantu tingfkatkan kualiti pemain Sarawak
Presiden Kuching FA Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman menyambut baik uaha menubuhkan Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo yang diyakini mampu menggilap kualiti bola sepak di pulau itu.
Terserah Bung Moktar, yang penting khidmat untuk rakyat dulu - Andi
ADUN Tanjung Batu, Datuk Andi Muhamad Suryady Bandy menyerahkan kepada Datuk Seri Bung Moktar untuk memastikan kemenangan UMN O dalan PRN 17 namun pada masa sama berharap perkara mengenai calon dibincang selepas DUN Sabah dibubar.
PRN 17: Pimpinan UMNO Sabah berhak nilai calon terbaik
Ketua Perhubungan UMNO Sabah Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin menegaskan pihaknya bertanggungjawab menetukan calon terbaik untuk mewakili parti itu dalam PRN Sabah ke-17.
Kastam Sarawak rekod rampasan RM816.1 juta
Kastam Sarawak merekodkan peratusan rampasan melebihi unjuran nasional setakat ini.
Jentera cerucuk tumbang, operator hampir maut
Mangsa seorang lelaki warga tempatan berusia 33 tahun ditemui dalam keadaan sedar selepas tersepit hampir dua jam di dalam jentera cerucuk yang tumbang.
Bing kini digunakan lebih 140 juta pengguna setiap hari
Selain Bing, aplikasi Copilot untuk iOS dan Android juga memperlihatkan peningkatan kadar muat turun dari hari ke hari.
WEF: Perdagangan Malaysia, Arab Saudi boleh diperkukuh menerusi kerjasama - Tengku Zafrul
Kerjasama Malaysia-Arab Saudi dengan saling memanfaat kekuatan antara satu sama lain dapat menyokong pertumbuhan perdagangan dan pelaburan.
TotalEnergies setuju tingkat pelaburan di Malaysia - PM
TotalEnergies menyatakan komitmen dan bersetuju untuk mempertingkatkan pelaburan dalam sektor huluan minyak dan gas.
PM Anwar yakin terhadap IsDB dalam tangani ketidaksamaan, marginalisasi umat Islam
Bank itu mempunyai peranan untuk menangani isu ketidakadilan, ketidaksamaan dan marginalisasi terutamanya dalam kalangan umat Islam.
Malaysia amalkan dasar luar yang seimbang, elak provokatif - Anwar
Malaysia mengamalkan pendekatan dasar luar yang seimbang antara Barat dan Timur, selain mengelakkan sebarang keadaan yang dilihat sebagai provokatif, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Presiden Turkiye ucap takziah kepada keluarga anggota, Malaysia - Anwar
Presiden Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan mengutuskan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga 10 wira negara yang terkorban dalam nahas helikopter TLDM di Lumut, Perak.
Pihak dikaitkan dalam laporan berkaitan lesen kasino perlu ambil tindakan - PM Anwar
Laporan yang memetik satu sumber itu berkata perbincangan mengenai pemberian lesen itu masih di peringkat awal.
Tiada kasino akan beroperasi di Johor - Onn Hafiz
Onn Hafiz berkata khabar angin yang tular itu berunsur sabotaj dan berniat jahat untuk mencemar imej Forest City dan Johor secara keseluruhannya.
MOT, Khazanah, MAG perlu perkukuh tadbir urus MAB - PM Anwar
Jelas Anwar lagi, pengurusan syarikat penerbangan yang baik juga akan memberi manfaat kepada kakitangan melalui gaji yang setimpal dengan perkhidmatan mereka.
Kontroversi UM: Sarjana ‘berkualiti rendah’ tak patut dijemput - PM Anwar
Anwar menyindir ahli akademik AS yang terbabit dalam kontroversi pro-Israel sebagai sarjana berkualiti rendah dan tidak mempunyai pencapaian luar biasa atau istimewa.
Terdapat keperluan tambah bilangan wanita isi jawatan KSU, KP - PM Anwar
Anwar berkata jumlah pimpinan wanita sedia ada tidak mencerminkan jumlah keseluruhan 42 peratus golongan itu yang terlibat sebagai pembuat keputusan dalam perkhidmatan awam ketika ini.