PETALING JAYA: High Court Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid has warned lawyer Rosli Dahlan not to make a political speech during the argument of his case.
Ahmad Kamal had told Rosli, appearing for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), to refrain from making a political speech during the party’s application to challenge the decision of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) to freeze the party’s bank accounts for investigative purposes.
Rosli had argued during his submissions that MACC freezing Bersatu’s bank accounts and the investigation against his client was part of an effort to bring down the party by the current government, NST reports
The lawyer also labelled MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki as “problematic” due to his prior alleged involvement in purchasing stock market shares back in 2015.
“You cannot kill the opposition or else democracy will die. It (the decision to freeze the account) was done in bad faith and this court should inquire into the agency’s decision-making process,“ Rosli said.
It was then that the court reminded Rosli to not make any politically motivated speech and to focus on his submissions.
Senior Federal Counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, appearing for the government, said MACC announced Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s travel ban lift last month.
Shamsul added that the former premier was previously charged at the Sessions Court last month in which the court ordered Muhyiddin to give up his passport until the case has been dropped.
“He (Muyhiddin) can apply to court to temporarily release his passport if he wishes to travel abroad. Thus, his application (to revoke the travel ban) has now become academic,“ he said.
The court has set May 17 as the date for decision.
Before this, Bersatu had filed a judicial review application and named Azam and 19 others as the first to 20th respondents. They had claimed earlier that the freezing of Bersatu’s bank accounts were done in bad faith.
The party also accused MACC for allegedly abusing their power by selectively politically prosecuting against the Bersatu leadership, Perikatan Nasional (PN) or Muhyiddin.
