Azmin and Zahid's OSA challenge fixed for Aug 1
The hearing of a legal challenge over the classification of a 1MDB audit report under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA), has been fixed for Aug 1 by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali and former Umno member Zahid Md Arip are seeking separately to compel the government to release the report.
Their hearings will now take place before Justice Kamaludin Md Said. He replaces Justice Hanipah Farikullah, who initially granted leave in January this year for both cases to be heard. She was transferred to Shah Alam a fortnight ago...
The hearing of a legal challenge over the classification of a 1MDB audit report under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA), has been fixed for Aug 1 by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali and former Umno member Zahid Md Arip are seeking separately to compel the government to release the report.
Their hearings will now take place before Justice Kamaludin Md Said. He replaces Justice Hanipah Farikullah, who initially granted leave in January this year for both cases to be heard. She was transferred to Shah Alam a fortnight ago.
Both matters came up for case management before Justice Kamaludin today in his chambers.
Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla, who was representing Zahid, told reporters that former auditor-general Ambrin Buang had given them an affidavit explaining his decision to classify the report under the OSA.
He said that he will take instructions from his client on whether they will file a reply and that the reply and written submissions will have to be given before the hearing date.
Lawyer Ganesan Nithi appeared for Azmin, while senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan appeared for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Ambrin and the government.
Initially, Azmin's case was supposed to be heard before Justice Azizah Nawawi. However, the judge recused herself as her husband Nik Shuhaimi Nik Sulaiman is the Selangor legal advisor.
It was reported that Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president, had filed a judicial review application, in which he named Najib, Ambrin, and the government as respondents.
He is seeking a declaration that classifying the report under OSA was unlawful and beyond the powers of the Federal Constitution.
Zahid, who is now Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia supreme council member, was the first who filed a judicial challenge against the classification of the 1MDB report.
Azmin and Zahid are also seeking a mandamus to compel the three respondents, their agents and officers to declassify the 1MDB report pursuant to Section 2C of the OSA, and to release the report to the public.
