PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah was in no mood for any diplomacy when he turned up at the Federal Court here this morning, immediately going on to reveal the acrimonious relations he had with the solicitors that had been appointed to replace his firm to handle Datuk Seri Najib Razak's SRC International appeal.
Shafee, who turned up to assist the former prime minister's newly appointed counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, told Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat that he was only in court to assist Hisyam in submitting Najib's application to recuse her.
"I was only told about this about two hours ago... I am not even dressed properly to be in court. I rushed here from Parliament where I am chairing a symposium," he said.
Shafee then went on to explain his position, saying that he needed to do it to dispel any perception that this was yet another attempt to adjourn the appeal hearing.
"I want to make it clear that my relationship with the solicitors (appointed by Najib to handle the appeal hearing) is acrimonious. My relationship with Hisyam is good.
"I did not like the way the way this case was related to my client. I have the letters which show the exchanges between them.
"My client was put in a position where things were misrepresented by the counsels, particularly one from Singapore who had no knowledge whatsoever of criminal law," he said before Tengku Maimun cut him off.
Tengku Maimun: Why do we need to go through this history?
Shafee: I thought we need to know the history so we don't harbour....(he was cut off by the CJ again).
Tengku Maimun: No need.
Najib had previously dropped Shafee's firm Messrs Shafee & Co and appointed Messrs Zaid Suflan TH Liew & Partners to represent him just two weeks before his SRC main appeal was scheduled to begin.
Shafee was also dropped and Hisyam appointed to become the lead counsel in the case.
Meanwhile, Shafee then went on to plead for an adjournment till tomorrow to submit on Najib's application to recuse Tengku Maimun.
Arguing that the integrity of the judiciary was at stake, Shafee said he would be in court tomorrow morning to submit his arguments.
"I am not being engaged for anything else... just this," he said.
Tengku Maimun then asked the prosecution on their stand, prompting ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram to object.
He said everyone had been in court fully prepared and there was no reason the application for adjournment should be granted.
"This is not the first time. It is obvious this application (to recuse Tengku Maimun) is filed to scuttle the appeal.
"They did the same thing by filing last minute applications at the Court of Appeal. The way this case is going I steadfastly object to any adjournments," he said.
Tengku Maimun then refused the adjournment as she directed Hisyam to proceed with his submissions on why she should be recused.
However, before he could start, Shafee stood up and said he would be back tomorrow morning only to be told by Tengku Maimun that there was no reason for him to do so.
"If this is completed today, there is no reason for anybody to be here tomorrow morning," she said, before Shafee left the court room.
Najib is applying to recuse Tengku Maimun after arguing that her husband had posted some negative remarks about his leadership.
He said Datuk Zamani Ibrahim had done this in a Facebook post in 2018.