1MDB: Court sets November 18 to hear application for judicial review

KUALA LUMPUR - The High Court here today fixed Nov 10 to hear a judicial review application by Muhammad Zahid Md Arip against the Auditor-General’s decision in classifying the 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) Audit Report as a document under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Judge Datuk Hanipah Farikullah set the date in chambers after senior federal counsel Suzana Atan, representing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Auditor-General and the government — who were named the respondents, raised a preliminary objection on grounds that the application was frivolous and vexatious.

Also present during the proceeding were senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, and Muhammad Zahid’s lawyer, Irzan Iswatt Mohd Noor.

Suzana, when met by reporters, claimed that Mohammad Zahid, who is an Umno life member, had no locus standi to file the application for the judicial review.

“The court also ordered both parties to file written submissions on the judicial review application,” she added.

Muhammad Zahid filed the ex-parte application last Aug 5.

The Umno life member from the party’s Sungai Udang branch in Melaka is seeking, among others, an order to revoke the decision by the respondents in not changing the status of the report even after the Public Accounts Committee report on 1MDB was tabled in Parliament last April 7.

He is also seeking an order to revoke the decision by the respondents in leaving to PAC to decide whether or not to declassify the status of the report and also an order for the respondents to submit immediately the final report on 1MDB by the Auditor-General to the authority. — Bernama