PM’s political secretary withdraws 1MDB appeal

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s political secretary Muhammad Zahid Md Arip yesterday withdrew his appeal against a High Court’s dismissal of his judicial review to declassify the Auditor General’s report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

A Court of Appeal three-man bench comprising Justices Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid, Puan Sri Zaleha Yusof and Datuk Yaacob Md Sam subsequently struck out the appeal with no order as to costs.

Lawyer Mohd Irzan Iswatt Mohd Noor, representing Muhammad Zahid, informed the court that the appeal was fixed for hearing yesterday, but he received instructions from his client to withdraw the appeal.

He said the subject matter of the appeal had become academic because the Auditor- General’s report had been declassified on May 15 by the new government.

Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, representing the respondents, did not object to the withdrawal of the appeal.

Muhammad Zahid filed a judicial review, naming former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Auditor- General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and the government as respondents.

In his application, he wanted a declaration that the decision to classify the report as an official secret by the previous government was unconstitutional and sought an order to make the 1MDB final report publicly accessible.

On Jan 24 this year, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur dismissed Muhammad Zahid’s judicial review, prompting him to file an appeal to the Court of Appeal. — Bernama