KUALA LUMPUR: Former Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil is seeking an end to the contempt proceedings brought against him by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) over his comments in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd-related (1MDB) cases.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib informed High Court judge Justice Noorin Badaruddin that Isham’s lawyers had sent a representation to the AGC to offer an unreserved apology.
According to Ahmad Akram, Isham submitted the representation on March 25 via email to offer his open and unconditional apology to the judiciary.
He said the prosecution was waiting for instructions from the Attorney General (AG) and sought a new case management date.
Isham’s lawyer Jamie Wong confirmed the matter.
Justice Noorin then fixed June 10 for case management to get an update on the representation.
On Dec 28, 2023, in an ex-parte application, the AG applied for leave from the High Court to initiate committal proceedings against Isham to imprison or impose a fine on him.
In an interview, Isham, whose real name is Hizatul Isham Abdul Jalil, reportedly commented on the trial and appeal of Najib in the SRC International and 1MDB cases.
His comments were published on the “The Malaya Post” Facebook page on Sept 30 last year.
The AG claimed that in the interview, Isham allegedly challenged the recusal process involving Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who presided over the 1MDB trial at the High Court here.
“The respondent, among other things, gave explicit or implicit comments that allegedly meant that the judge acted with bias in deciding the application.
“In addition, the respondent also disputed the appeal process at the Federal Court of the SRC International case between Datuk Seri Najib and the public prosecutor.”
On March 4, Justice Noorin allowed the AG leave to initiate the contempt proceedings, being satisfied that a prima facie case had been established against Isham.
