May 17 decision for Mahathir’s bid to recuse judge

KUALA LUMPUR: An application by Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to disqualify a judge from hearing his suit relating to a Royal Commission of Inquiry’s (RCI) findings into Bank Negara foreign exchange trading losses in the 1990s has been fixed for decision next month.

Dr Mahathir’s lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla told repor- ters after meeting High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Azizah Nawawi in chambers that the judge fixed May 17 for the verdict.

Mohamed Haniff said that the court also fixed the same day for case management for the application by the nine defendants to strike out Dr Mahathir’s suit against them.

The nine are the five RCI panel members: Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, Datuk Kamaludin Md Said, Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan, Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon and S.A.K. Pushpanathan, RCI secretary Datuk Dr Yusof Ismail, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Cabinet ministers and the Malaysian Government.

Mohamed Haniff said they made the application on the grounds that Justice Azizah had previously heard a suit filed by Dr Mahathir involving the same subject and issue.

Dr Mahathir filed the originating summons on Dec 19 last year seeking to declare the report by the RCI into the losses suffered by Bank Negara as null and void.

He alleged that the report was illegal, incomplete and defective as it lacked proceeding notes, and written and oral submissions through transcription or video recording.

On Oct 13 last year, Mohd Sidek who was the RCI chairman, presented the RCI findings on Bank Negara Malaysia’s losses to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V during a meeting.