Defence co-counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (right) leaving the courtroom at about 11.40am Tuesday (Aug 23).
PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's former counsel in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, made a short cameo during the hearing here on Tuesday (Aug 23).
The senior lawyer arrived shortly after Najib's counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik informed the five-judge panel that he had roped in Muhammad Shafee to help him with the application to recuse Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat from presiding over the appeal.
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As soon as he arrived, Muhammad Shafee addressed the court and spoke of his relationship with Najib's recently discharged solicitors, Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners (ZIST).
"My relationship with the immediately precedent solicitor is in fact, acrimonious, while my relationship with Hisyam is good," he said.
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Muhammad Shafee said he wanted to address this matter first lest that the court would deem him a party to "scuttle the proceedings".
CJ: Why do we need to go through this history?
Let's go through the merits of the application.
Muhammad Shafee then requested for an adjournment as he was unprepared for the motion.
"I have no material before me," he said.
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CJ: So basically you come just to ask for adjournment?
Muhammad Shafee: For tomorrow only.
Lead prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram said that the prosecution strenuously object to the adjournment.
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CJ: We take it that Hisyam is ready to proceed when the appellant made the application. So we find no reason to adjourn. Please submit.
Hisyam then stood up to say that he could proceed but the balance of the submission would be done by Muhammad Shafee on Wednesday (Aug 24) morning.
"I have given my ruling. We find no reason to adjourn this matter," the CJ said.
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Muhammad Shafee then stood up and said while he understood the court's direction, he would come tomorrow morning for his part of the submission.
"That's entirely up to you whether you want to come here tomorrow," the CJ responded.
She said if the proceedings go on and everything was concluded, there would be no need for Muhammad Shafee to be here tomorrow.
She then ordered for Hisyam to proceed.
Muhammad Shafee was seen leaving the court room shortly after.
