Crime & Courts

PM Najib, lawyer apply to strike out Anwar's application over disclosure of bank statements

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and lawyer Tan Sri Dr Muhammed Shafee Abdullah have filed an application to strike out Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's discovery application seeking for them to disclose their bank statements.

This is in relation to the alleged RM9.5 million paid to Shafee to carry out prosecution against Anwar in the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court in his sodomy appeal.

Najib's lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun told reporters that the striking out application was filed yesterday on grounds that the action was scandalous and frivolous.

Meanwhile, judge Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said who was supposed to hear the case had recused himself on the basis that he had conducted three of Anwar's cases.

"We have no objection to this and the judge has fixed Aug 10 for case management before the deputy registrar to know who the new judge is,"Hafarizam said.

Anwar was represented by lawyers N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya while Shafee was represented by lawyer Sarah Malini Abishegam.

On June 15, Anwar filed a discovery application for Najib and Shafee to disclose their financial statements claiming that a sum of RM9.5 million was paid by the prime minister to Shafee in two tranches in which the first payment of RM4.3 million was made on Sept 11, 2013, and the second one, a total of RM5.2 million was made on Feb 17, 2014.

Prior to the discovery application, Anwar had filed an originating summons against the government seeking to set aside his conviction and imprisonment for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 31, nine years ago.

On March 27, 2014, Anwar, 61, was convicted by the Court of Appeal of committing unnatural carnal intercourse against Saiful at Unit 11-5-1 of Desa Damansara Condominium in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara here between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

The Federal Court, on Dec 14, last year, also dismissed Anwar's application to review its previous decision.

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