Anwar and Karpal cases: CJ dismisses intervention claims

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria yesterday dismissed allegations of intervention in the recent judicial decisions in the cases of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP chairman Karpal Singh.

“I can assure you that there was no such thing. The judges, whatever decision they make, have got to give reasons and these reasons are subject to the scrutiny of appellate courts,” he told a press conference after opening the 48th annual judges conference here.

He gave the assurance that if a judicial decision was wrong, was not proper or was illegal, it would be changed through the due process of the law.

The Court of Appeal had sentenced Anwar, the de facto PKR leader, to five years’ jail after overturning a High Court decision acquitting him on a

I can assure you that there was no such thing. The judges, whatever decision they make, have got to give reasons and these reasons are subject to the scrutiny of appellate courts. Tun Arifin Zakaria, Chief Justice

charge of having sodomised his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.

The High Court had fined DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor member of parliament Karpal Singh RM4,000 for committing sedition against the Sultan of Perak five years ago.

Asked to comment on the illegal assemblies planned by certain parties to protest against the court decisions, Arifin said this was not the way to solve the issue.

“We cannot anticipate what is going to happen. Please do not prejudge what is going to happen in the Court of Appeal and Federal Court. The process is available to everybody. Everybody gets the same treatment in court,” he said.

Arifin said the judiciary was also open to criticism, but it should be fair and the public had to show what was wrong.

“All procedures are in place to ensure that the independence and integrity of the judiciary is not compromised. The judiciary is one of the weakest bodies.

“Anybody can attack us, but we cannot defend ourselves. We only can defend ourselves in our judgment. We cannot go ahead and deny this and that,” he said. — Bernama