KUALA LUMPUR: Former Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil's remarks on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's trial and appeal posed a genuine risk of undermining public confidence in the administration of justice, the High Court here heard.
DPP Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam submitted Friday (May 30) that Isham (pic) had brought the judiciary into disrepute with statements that questioned the conduct and decisions of both the Federal Court and High Court concerning the SRC International Sdn Bhd and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) cases involving Najib.
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He said the conduct of Isham, whose full name is Hizatul Isham Abdul Jalil, amounted to interference in the due administration of justice and constituted a serious contempt of court.
As such, he submitted, it warranted either a fine or custodial sentence.
"The contemnor’s averments that his statement during the town hall session was a fair and genuine criticism towards the judiciary are clearly against the evidence stacked against him," he said during proceedings before Justice K. Muniandy.
Isham purportedly made the comments during an interview titled Townhall for Justice: Keadilan Sebenarnya Untuk Siapa, on Sept 30, 2023, which was posted on The Malaya Post’s Facebook page the same day.
Isham’s counsel, Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, contended that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
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The court fixed July 1 for its decision on the Attorney General’s (AG) application to initiate committal proceedings against Isham.
On March 4 last year, the court granted the AG’s application for leave to commence the committal proceedings.
In an ex parte application filed on Dec 28, 2023, the AG sought an order for Isham to be fined or committed to prison.
The AG claimed that during the interview, Isham had challenged the recusal process involving Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is presiding over the 1MDB trial at the High Court.
The AG further asserted that Isham’s remarks had tarnished the reputation of the judiciary and could potentially erode public confidence. – Bernama
